"A tracking pixel is a small piece of code added to a website that sends information about the site's users to the platform that operates the pixel. That can include details of a user's activities, such as their browsing activity, purchases and searches. A website that embeds a pixel often does so to inform its advertising campaigns on the platform that create the pixel."
"When you look up a website in Blacklight, it will now report if it finds the TikTok pixel or X pixel. More detailed information about the specific data being passed through pixels is also available by clicking on "Learn more" in the top right of the results, then clicking the link to "download an archive.""
"Blacklight's pixel detection features have already powered our Pixel Hunt investigations, which revealed that sensitive personal user information was being shared from government websites with Meta and Google, leading to lawsuits, removal of pixels from sites and increased government scrutiny. These new features give a fuller picture of the digital privacy landscape by exposing tracking pixels from two more companies."
Tracking pixels transmit information about website visitors to the platform that operates the pixel, including browsing activity, purchases, searches, and other user actions. Platforms can aggregate pixel data across many sites to build detailed profiles of interests, behavior, and personal information, enabling ad targeting and other uses. Blacklight now reports the presence of TikTok and X pixels on inspected websites and provides deeper details via a "Learn more" path and downloadable archives. The new detection features were developed with Brandeis University computer science students and build on Pixel Hunt findings that exposed sensitive data sharing from government sites.
Read at The Mercury News
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