Blacklight

Questions & Answers

What is Blacklight?

Blacklight is a real-time website privacy inspector developed by The Markup. It scans websites to reveal specific user-tracking technologies and identify which entities are receiving data from the site.

Who can benefit from using Blacklight?

Blacklight is beneficial for anyone concerned about online privacy, including general internet users, researchers, and privacy advocates who want to understand the tracking mechanisms present on websites they visit.

How does Blacklight differentiate itself from other privacy tools?

Blacklight specifically focuses on detecting a broad range of user-tracking technologies, including ad trackers, third-party cookies, cookie-evading tracking, session-monitoring scripts, and even potential keystroke capturing, along with specific social media pixels like TikTok and X.

When should I use Blacklight?

You should use Blacklight when you want to quickly assess the privacy practices of a website by identifying the embedded trackers and data recipients before or during your interaction with the site. It helps in making informed decisions about website engagement.

What technical options are available when scanning with Blacklight?

Users can specify the inspection location (e.g., Ohio, California, Europe), the device type (mobile or desktop), and caching preferences (use cached results or force a new request). A typical scan takes between 30 seconds and one minute to complete.