AdScout Autor: Libor Benes (Dr. B)

AdScout is a privacy-first Firefox extension that reveals the hidden advertising ecosystem powering the modern web. Detect, extract, and analyze advertisements on any webpage — completely client-side with zero data collection.

🔍 WHAT AdScout DOES:
AdScout works in two powerful modes:

📋 Ads MODE:
Scans the current webpage for advertisements and extracts comprehensive metadata:
• Creative IDs and Line Item IDs.
• Tracking parameters (gclid, fbclid, utm_*).
• Ad network identification (Google Ads, Criteo, Amazon Ads, etc.).
• Landing URLs and media asset URLs.
• Ad dimensions and position on page.
• Ad type (display, image, iframe).

🌐 NETWORK REQUESTS MODE:
Monitors live HTTP requests to ad servers in real-time:
• Captures every request to known ad domains.
• Shows timestamps, methods (GET/POST), and request types.
• Identifies which ad network each request belongs to.
• Click any URL to copy the full address.

✨ KEY FEATURES:
• One-click ad detection – Scan any webpage instantly.
• Real-time network monitoring – Watch ad requests as they happen.
• Copy individual ads or generate complete reports.
• Export to CSV with file picker (timestamped filenames).
• Append/Replace modes – Choose how scans accumulate.
• Low-quality ad filtering – Hide minimal-data ads.
• Sticky stats bars – Counters stay visible while scrolling.

🔒 SECURITY-FIRST ARCHITECTURE:
• 100% client-side – Nothing leaves your browser.
• No data collection – Explicitly declared in manifest.
• No telemetry, no analytics, no tracking.
• No eval() or dangerous DOM manipulation.
• Minimal permissions – Only what's necessary.

💡 SAMPLE TEST SITES:
• YouTube.com – Excellent ad detection with creative IDs.
• CNN.com – Good display ads and network requests.
• TheVerge.com – Great for both modes.

⚠️ LIMITATIONS:
• Cannot extract ads inside cross-origin iframes.
• Facebook/Twitter ads are inaccessible (shadow DOM).
• Browser-based detection may miss some dynamic ads.

🎯 PERFECT FOR:
• Privacy researchers analyzing ad tracking.
• Security professionals investigating ad campaigns.
• Digital marketers studying competitor strategies.
• Anyone curious about the ad-tech ecosystem.

AdScout reveals what tracks you.