4 citations · 6 across the 11 of their papers we have counts for
12 papers
Tracking Conversations: Measuring Content and Identity Exposure on AI Chatbots
Muhammad Jazlan, Ethan Wang, Yash Vekaria +1
AI chatbots are becoming a primary interface for seeking information. As their popularity grows, chatbot providers are starting to deploy advertising and analytics. Despite this, t…
FP-Agent: Fingerprinting AI Browsing Agents
Ethan Wang, Zubair Shafiq, Yash Vekaria
AI browsing agents are an emerging class of AI-powered bots capable of autonomously navigating websites. Unlike traditional web bots, AI browsing agents typically operate using rea…
SST-Guard: Detecting and Characterizing Server-Side Google Analytics in the Wild
Muhammad Jazlan, Alexander Gamero-Garrido, Zubair Shafiq +1
As web browsers increasingly restrict client-side tracking, the web tracking ecosystem is shifting from client-side to server-side tracking (SST). In SST, the browser sends trackin…
Understanding Data Collection, Brokerage, and Spam in the Lead Marketing Ecosystem
Yash Vekaria, Nurullah Demir, Konrad Kollnig +1
The lead marketing ecosystem enables collection, sale, and use of personal data submitted via web forms to deliver personalized quotes in high-value verticals such as insurance. De…
PixelConfig: Longitudinal Measurement and Reverse-Engineering of Meta Pixel Configurations
Abdullah Ghani, Yash Vekaria, Zubair Shafiq
Tracking pixels are used to optimize online ad campaigns through personalization, re-targeting, and conversion tracking. Past research has primarily focused on detecting the preval…
Turning Trust to Transactions: Tracking Affiliate Marketing and FTC Compliance in YouTube's Influencer Economy
Chen Sun, Yash Vekaria, Zubair Shafiq +1
YouTube has evolved into a powerful platform where creators monetize their influence through affiliate marketing, raising concerns about transparency and ethics, especially when cr…
SoK: Advances and Open Problems in Web Tracking
Yash Vekaria, Yohan Beugin, Shaoor Munir +11
Web tracking is a pervasive and opaque practice that enables personalized advertising, retargeting, and conversion tracking. Over time, it has evolved into a sophisticated and inva…
Big Help or Big Brother? Auditing Tracking, Profiling, and Personalization in Generative AI Assistants
Yash Vekaria, Aurelio Loris Canino, Jonathan Levitsky +4
Generative AI (GenAI) browser assistants integrate powerful capabilities of GenAI in web browsers to provide rich experiences such as question answering, content summarization, and…
Towards Multi-Stakeholder Vulnerability Notifications in the Ad-Tech Supply Chain
Yash Vekaria, Rishab Nithyanand, Zubair Shafiq
Online advertising relies on a complex and opaque supply chain that involves multiple stakeholders, including advertisers, publishers, and ad-networks, each with distinct and somet…
Auditing the Compliance and Enforcement of Twitter's Advertising Policy
Yash Vekaria, Zubair Shafiq, Savvas Zannettou
Online platforms have enacted various policies to maintain a safe and trustworthy advertising environment. However, the extent to which these policies are adhered to and enforced r…
The Inventory is Dark and Full of Misinformation: Understanding the Abuse of Ad Inventory Pooling in the Ad-Tech Supply Chain
Yash Vekaria, Rishab Nithyanand, Zubair Shafiq
Ad-tech enables publishers to programmatically sell their ad inventory to millions of demand partners through a complex supply chain. Bogus or low quality publishers can exploit th…
Inferring Tracker-Advertiser Relationships in the Online Advertising Ecosystem using Header Bidding
John Cook, Rishab Nithyanand, Zubair Shafiq
Online advertising relies on trackers and data brokers to show targeted ads to users. To improve targeting, different entities in the intricately interwoven online advertising and…