> [!info] > Input: [[Social Media Account|account]] > Output: advertisement information -- contacts ([[Email Address|email addresses]], [[Phone Number|phone numbers]], [[Website domain|websites]]), money, other related ads > > Types: [[Business Weakness|business]] > Weakness: [[SOWEL-22. Providing Contact Information]] > Functionality: [[SOFL-7. Advertisements]] ### Explanation This technique involves collecting and analyzing publicly available advertisements that have been linked to specific social media pages or accounts. The aim is to use regulatory transparency requirements to uncover detailed information about the entities behind these advertisements. Social media platforms (Facebook specifically) are required by transparency regulations to publicly disclose details about the advertisements run by various pages, even if the pages are anonymous. This disclosure includes the advertisements themselves, the websites and contact information of the companies or individuals who placed the ads, and the amount of money spent. This publicly accessible data can be invaluable for investigations, offering insights into the financial flows and affiliative networks behind social media campaigns. Applications: - **Political Campaign Analysis**: Understanding the funding and messaging influence in political campaigns. - **Corporate Influence Tracking**: Investigating corporate influence on public opinion and policy, especially where undisclosed or misleading sponsorship is involved. - **Fraud Detection**: Identifying fraudulent or deceptive advertising practices that could be part of larger scams. ### Examples - [Investigating Information Operations in West Papua: A Digital Forensic Case Study of Cross-Platform Network Analysis (bellingcat)](https://www.bellingcat.com/news/rest-of-world/2019/10/11/investigating-information-operations-in-west-papua-a-digital-forensic-case-study-of-cross-platform-network-analysis/) - [The sad fate of small Facebook audiences: Mexico (digital methods initiative)](https://www.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/WinterSchool2024FBaudiencesMexico) ### Tools - [Facebook Ad Archive](https://ad-archive.nexxxt.cloud/) - [Gets Contacts from Facebook Ads for a Facebook Page](https://github.com/soxoj/FacebookAdsContacts) - [Google Ads Transparency Center](https://adstransparency.google.com/)