Avast, me mateys! Join forces and set sail with Ghostery, for it be revealing its adblocker library!
2023-07-28
Arr matey! Ye scurvy dog be aimin' to make the web more secret-like with the help of a crew o' mates. Here be all ye need to be knowin', me hearties!
Ghostery, one of the best adblockers on the market, has opened up its tracking library to the public in order to build a more private browsing experience for all. The company, which has been blocking and filtering online trackers since 2009, has always collaborated with external experts to feed its database. Now, Ghostery has made this process more transparent and accessible by allowing the broader online community to contribute.The TrackerDB, which is the proprietary database used by Ghostery to name trackers, is now open-source and available on GitHub. The company aims to disseminate knowledge on how the tracking ecosystem works through a community-driven approach. This commitment to transparency also extends to the companies whose trackers might get blocked, as they will need to dispute these decisions publicly.
What sets Ghostery apart from other similar software is its effort to not only block ads and trackers, but also give a name and context to each entity. This helps users have more control over the information they share and be more aware of online tracking. The CEO of Ghostery believes that making these trackers visible and tangible helps people make more informed choices about blocking them.
In addition to its tracking-blocking features, Ghostery offers a Never Consent option to fight against cookie consent pop-ups and a website called WhoTracks.me, which provides up-to-date reports on trackers. To contribute to Ghostery's tracking efforts, users can start using the Ghostery browser extension and submit blocked URLs and their guesses of the tracker's owner to the TrackerDB GitHub repository.