3 citations · 5 across the 13 of their papers we have counts for
16 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…
Keys on Doormats: Exposed API Credentials on the Web
Nurullah Demir, Yash Vekaria, Georgios Smaragdakis +1
API (Application Programming Interface) keys allow applications to authenticate themselves to third-party services. Inadvertent public exposure of these credentials can pose signif…
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…
On the Suitability of LLM-Driven Agents for Dark Pattern Audits
Chen Sun, Yash Vekaria, Rishab Nithyanand
As LLM-driven agents begin to autonomously navigate the web, their ability to interpret and respond to manipulative interface design becomes critical. A fundamental question that e…
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…
Watching TV with the Second-Party: A First Look at Automatic Content Recognition Tracking in Smart TVs
Gianluca Anselmi, Yash Vekaria, Alexander D'Souza +3
Smart TVs implement a unique tracking approach called Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) to profile viewing activity of their users. ACR is a Shazam-like technology that works by…
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…
Under the Spotlight: Web Tracking in Indian Partisan News Websites
Vibhor Agarwal, Yash Vekaria, Pushkal Agarwal +5
India is experiencing intense political partisanship and sectarian divisions. The paper performs, to the best of our knowledge, the first comprehensive analysis on the Indian onlin…
Differential Tracking Across Topical Webpages of Indian News Media
Yash Vekaria, Vibhor Agarwal, Pushkal Agarwal +4
Online user privacy and tracking have been extensively studied in recent years, especially due to privacy and personal data-related legislations in the EU and the USA, such as the…