Installing the Who Targets Me browser extension to your web browser is easy – it only takes a couple of minutes. Once installed, just continue to use Facebook as normal, and after a few days, you’ll start to see (something like):
What does the extension show?
- A record of the political ads you’ve been targeted with and who’s targeted you most
- The reasons why you were targeted
- Whether you’re seeing more ads than other people near you
- Whether the number of political ads you see is increasing
- How much the main campaigners are spending on Facebook ads
- New statistics, information and context as we add them
Note: You can only install the Who Targets Me browser extension on a desktop or laptop computer. It isn’t currently available for mobile or tablet.
How to install the browser extension
Step 1: Choose your version of Who Targets Me
Select the correct install link for your browser. The relevant browser extension store will open in a new tab.
Step 2: Install via browser extension store
Install the extension by clicking the “install”, “get” or “add to…” button in the browser extension store page for Who Targets Me.
Step 3: Initialize the extension
Click the Who Targets Me extension icon to initialize the software. This is usually to the right of your address bar.
Step 4: Create anonymous profile
Follow the steps on screen to set up your anonymous profile (age, gender, location and political leaning). We ask for no personal information such as name, email or Facebook profile information.
Step 5: Choose to participate in university research
For some elections, we partner with academic researchers. After completing your profile, you may be offered the opportunity to opt-in to a university research programme.
Last step: Spread the word
Please share the project with friends and family.
How we keep your data private
We do not ask for, or capture any personal data (such as name, email, Facebook details or posts). We only capture the ads you’re targeted with, and use them to present data back to you. You can delete any data associated with the browser extension by following the link at the bottom of your personalized results and you can delete the software at any time, by right-clicking the extension icon and clicking ‘remove’.
Data used for research is aggregated. Ages are presented as ranges, locations as constituencies or districts to ensure de-anonymization is impossible.
Questions or comments?
If you have any trouble using the software, please get in touch. We’ll respond as quickly as possible.