Ads Transparency Spotlight

Ads Transparency Spotlight: Browse Advertisers

See who runs political, election or issue ads on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter with Ads Transparency Spotlight

What is Ads Transparency Spotlight?

Ads Transparency Spotlight is a browser extension available for Chrome and Firefox that aims to provide more transparency and accountability around political and issue advertising on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The extension was launched in June 2022 by a group of researchers and watchdogs concerned about the lack of oversight and transparency in digital political ads.

When installed, Ads Transparency Spotlight will automatically analyze the ads in your social media feeds and reveal additional details about advertisers running political, election or social issue ads. This includes the total spend by the advertiser, the targeting categories used (such as age, location, interests etc.), and the confirmed identity of the advertiser when available.

The goal of the extension is to equip social media users with more information on who is targeting them with ads about candidates and causes, and why they are being targeted. Political advertising continues to be a source of misinformation and manipulation during elections. By making targeting criteria and spending details public, Ads Transparency Spotlight aims to minimize risks associated with opaque and unchecked advertising.

The extension also contains an archive of all the political, election and issue ads detected since 2020. Users can browse this archive to view trends over time related to spending by advertisers and targeting strategies.

Overall, Ads Transparency Spotlight brings much needed transparency and accountability to an area rife with potential harms to democracy and users’ privacy. With over 10,000 installs since launch, the extension helps check opaque advertising practices on popular platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Ads Transparency Spotlight Features

Official Links