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Ad Detector Plugin Will Tell You Whether that Post You’re Reading is Actually an Advert

ad detector 1Whether reader like it or not, money is what truly drives the web. Many sites have turned to advertising to pay the bills, and unfortunately a few have decided to sell their articles and blog posts to advertisers.

That is called native advertising, and I doubt very many readers like the idea that sites as well-respected as Forbes, The Atlantic, and Newsweek are selling their editorial content to advertisers – and then not telling readers.

That is why I am pleased to share a useful plugin that just came across my desk. It’s called Ad Detector, and according to the description it does exactly what the name implies:

AdDetector is a browser plugin that puts a red banner above articles that may appear unbiased but are actually advertisements. Its goal is to improve transparency in media and on the web.

I have installed the plugin, and I have had a chance to see it in action so I can confirm that it works. I’m told it is designed to detect content which is sponsored but not explicitly called out as such.

The plugin is available for Firefox and Chrome. Here’s what it will look like in action:

While I will not yell about companies making money this way, I also think that they should be more explicit about their actions. This plugin does what they will not.

You can download the plugin from the Chrome Web Store and from the Add-On page on Mozilla.org. For more details, check out the  Ad Detector website.

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Comments


Felipe Adan Lerma August 22, 2014 um 5:29 am

Got it, gonna try it, thanks!


Richard Herley August 22, 2014 um 5:49 am

Thanks, will install, but the one I’m really waiting for tells you if the author of the piece in question was wearing a tinfoil hat.

Nate Hoffelder August 22, 2014 um 8:07 am

That is a little harder to program, but I’m working on it.


Fritz G August 22, 2014 um 10:48 am

I’m trying it, too, especially since it is very small (only 20.56 Kb). Up until now, I’ve been using the smell test: if it smells like an ad, it probably is.


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