### Explanation Advertisements on social media platforms can serve as a valuable source of information for SOCMINT purposes, particularly in terms of identifying and deanonymizing individuals or groups behind influential accounts or campaigns. One key aspect of social media advertising that makes it useful for SOCMINT is the regulatory requirement for transparency. In many jurisdictions, social media platforms are obligated to ensure that advertisers provide accurate contact information and disclose their identities. This means that even if an account spreading political news or influencing public opinion appears to be anonymous, the advertisements associated with that account may reveal the true identity of the individual or organization behind it. Moreover, advertising platforms collect a wealth of statistics on the users who view or interact with advertisements. This data can include geolocation information (such as countries and cities), languages, gender, and other demographic characteristics. By leveraging this information, SOCMINT practitioners can gather valuable insights about persons of interest (PoIs) if their email addresses or social media accounts are known. For example, if investigators have identified a suspect's email address, they can create a targeted marketing campaign specifically designed to reach that individual. By analyzing the data collected from this campaign, they can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the suspect's location, interests, and online behavior. This technique can be particularly useful in cases where traditional surveillance methods may be limited or ineffective. Read more about this technique in the article . ### Examples {{some links to articles, videos, etc}} ### Types - business ### See also - {{internal links to similar functionalities}} ### Typical techniques - [[SOTL-22.3. Retrieve Associated Advertisements]] ### Typical weaknesses - [[SOWEL-21. Exposing Interests]]