We’re making online political ads more transparent
…with a tool to track the ads you see, data and analysis for academics, researchers and journalists, and advocacy for better policy from platforms, regulators and governments.
Latest policy and research
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Building realtime maps
More >>: Building realtime mapsWe’ve wanted to build realtime maps of where ads are being targeted for a long time. Ideally, we want to combine that with data about how much is being spent in particular places, and being able to show the political competition underway there. In 2024, we had our first go at doing that, where we took the targeting information we…
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Why do we keep running our browser extension?
More >>: Why do we keep running our browser extension?Who Targets Me’s first product was our browser extension. Before Meta offered an ad library, it allowed us to crowdsource the political ads people were being targeted with and better explain which ads were showing up to different people in different places, and how those ads were targeted. It still does, but the extension now goes further for users, and…
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Should tech companies be forced to carry political ads?
More >>: Should tech companies be forced to carry political ads?On 27th November, Google announced it would stop carrying political ads in the EU before new political advertising regulations kick in next year. Google currently has a “weak” definition of political ads (essentially they’re ads run by national parties and candidates during election periods), versus Meta’s rather stronger one (the wider “political and issue ads” running at any time). An…
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Google quits political ads in the EU – a quick reaction
More >>: Google quits political ads in the EU – a quick reactionIn March, the EU adopted the text of a new regulation on political ads, designed to promote transparency and close off the period since 2016 where there’s been significant public and media concern about their misuse. The “final” regulation wasn’t very final, serving more as a framework than a specific set of requirements, with much of the detail still to…
What we do
Trends: Our ad data platform
Live tracking of online ad spending, targeting and content from 200k+ pages from 1500+ parties in 60+ countries. >>
Browser extension
Installed by over 100,000 people to help them learn more about the political ads they see and aid scientific research. >>
Training and consulting
Helping people develop their own research projects to better understand the ways technology and democracy interact. >>
Understand social media
Building ecologically valid studies to learn how users respond to changes in platform design, content and algorithms. >>
Policy and analysis
Developing and promoting ideas that improve trust and transparency in election campaigns in the digital age. >>
Newsletter
Full Disclosure is our regular newsletter on what parties and candidates are doing with their digital political ads. >>
Tools and projects
Trends: Our ad data platform
- Live tracking the spending, messaging and targeting of 200k+ advertisers in 60+ countries
- Monitor change over time. Who’s up? Who’s down?
- Dig into presidential races, referendums and local campaigns
- Explore the data and sign up for an account
Our Browser Extension
- Sees the political social media ads you see (nothing else)
- Helps put them in context
- Donates them for research
- Install for Chrome, Firefox or Edge
Understanding social media
- Allows researchers to run ecologically valid experimental studies with real content on real social media interfaces
- Learn how users react to re-ranking, labelling, literacy interventions and exposure to different types of content
- For quantitative and qualitative study
- Learn more
Sign up to Full Disclosure
Our newsletter on how political campaigns use ads, and what it all means.