A newly released report alleges Big Tech’s ad transparency tools are failing across the board — with X scoring the worst at providing meaningful data that can help users, journalists, and advocates keep a watchful eye on scams and disinformation.If “ad transparency” isn’t a familiar term, that’s probably because it’s a somewhat counterintuitive concept. With TV ads, you generally know the sponsor — it’s announced front and center. Digital ads are more slippery. Even when the fact that something is an ad is disclosed, exactly who is advertising what, and why still may not be clear. If a platform fails to provide robust digital ad transparency information to those who request it, it’s harder to track hoaxes and scrutinize sketchy or scammy ad practices. SEE ALSO: The return of political campaign ads to X/Twitter raises important questions for users A report ‘stress-testing’ tech platforms’ ad repositoriesThe digital survey was conducted by Mozilla and CheckFirst, a software solutions company providing tools to counter and monitor disinformation. It analyzed a dozen ad transparency tools created by tech platforms to aid advertising monitors, including those on X, TikTok, LinkedIn, Alphabet’s Google Search, and Meta and Apple sites. Using guidelines from the European Union’s 2023 Digital Services Act (DSA) and Mozilla’s in-house ad library guidelines, the organizations scanned the platforms’ ad repositories for things like public availability, the contents of advertisements, payer details, and user targeting details. “Ad transparency tools are essential for platform accountability — a first line of defense, like smoke detectors,” said…Report finds that Big Tech's ad monitoring tools are failing miserably. X is the worst.