AdControl is a Chrome browser plugin that tracks and analyzes advertisements
that are inserted into webpages that you browse. It was designed as part of a research project studying the
ecosystem of online-ads and how users can have better transparency into the underlying systems that select
ads for individuals.
Anytime an ad is displayed to you on a webpage, AdControl helps you understand the likely reason of you receiving the ad. Consider the scenario where you receive an ad to purchase a car.
- Was the ad shown to you because you are interested in cars (and how do websites know this)?
- Was it because people interested in cars often visit this webpage?
- Or, was it because you recently tried to buy a particular item (and who tracked this)?
In its current form, after being installed, AdControl displays a small, unobtrusive overlay over
every advertisement on a webpage that you visit.
How to use the AdControl plugin
| Step 1: Identify Ads |
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Look for the AdControl overlay and note the type of the ad. Ads are classified as either contextual behavioral or retargeted .
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Step 2: Examine Additional Information
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Click on the overlay to get more information about the ad, where it would take you if
clicked (landing page), and related websites that you have visited in the past.
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Step 3: Give Feedback (optional, but very helpful)
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Give feedback about the ad and check one of the two options:
This ad was relevant: Select this if this ad was informative and relevant to your interests.
This ad was not relevant: Select this if this ad was irrelevant, offensive, and you would rather not have seen it.
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NOTE
In its current early incarnation,
AdControl focuses only on advertisements delivered by the
DoubleClick ad network,
which is one of the largest today.
