TITLE:
Ad Blockers & Online Privacy: A Comparative Analysis of Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PET)
AUTHORS:
Siddharth M. Madikeri, Vijay K. Madisetti
KEYWORDS:
Privacy Enhancing Technology (PET), Personally Identifiable Information (PII), OpenWPM, Web Privacy
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Software Engineering and Applications,
Vol.17 No.5,
May
30,
2024
ABSTRACT: Online tracking mechanisms employed by internet companies for user profiling and targeted advertising raise major privacy concerns. Despite efforts to defend against these mechanisms, they continue to evolve, rendering many existing defences ineffective. This study performs a large-scale measurement of online tracking mechanisms across a large pool of websites using the OpenWPM (Open Web Privacy Measurement) platform. It systematically evaluates the effectiveness of several ad blockers and underlying Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PET) that are primarily used to mitigate different tracking techniques. By quantifying the strengths and limitations of these tools against modern tracking methods, the findings highlight gaps in existing privacy protections. Actionable recommendations are provided to enhance user privacy defences, guide tool developers and inform policymakers on addressing invasive online tracking practices.