This repo contains the in-progress code for Floodwatch v2, a collective ad-monitoring tool from The Office For Creative Research.
Since its earliest release, Floodwatch has helped reverse the power dynamic between user and advertiser by helping users track and understand the volume and types of ads they’re being served. Floodwatch v2.0 expands on that functionality by allowing users to compare themselves to each other: users may enter their demographic information and see how their ad breakdown compares to that of other demographics.
Recent investigations have uncovered the way that ad targeting can shift into unethical and illegal practices. ProPublica recently found that Facebook allowed advertisers to exclude certain races from particular job and housing postings—illegal under US non-discrimination law. A prior study at CMU found that simulated male profiles were shown high paying jobs 1,800 times, as opposed to simulated female users, who were shown those ads only about 300 times.
As advertising technology gets more and more sophisticated, it is critical that we have tools like Floodwatch to help users take back control over their data, develop a more detailed picture about how the ad industry is using (or abusing) personal information, and create a database of this information that can be used for research inquiry and action.
New in Floodwatch v2.0:
- Improved ad detection techniques.
- Users can add their own demographics, and compare their ad breakdown against a variety of other demographics (age, gender, religion, race, location)
- Users can share their own ad profile, or share comparisons of different demographics that display interesting insights and correlations.
More information is available at floodwatch.me.
This repo is not currently being maintained.
