A little context. More control.
Why am I seeing this ad?
Start with what the platform actually tells you. We’ll help you understand those reasons and find a useful next step.
Have an ad in mind? Keep its information panel open in another tab or app. This guide works with Google, Facebook, and Instagram explanations. Your choices stay in your browser.
- Choose a platform
- Find the explanation
- Select what it says
- Understand the reasons
Step 1 of 4
Choose a platform
Your choices stay in this page’s memory. Reset or reload to clear them. No account, upload, or ad-profile access is needed.
How to read an explanation
A reason is a clue, not a complete profile.
An ad that seems unusually relevant can feel personal. Use the platform’s disclosure to separate what it says from what you suspect. A reference to a location, for example, does not by itself establish that an advertiser knows your street address.
This guide translates selected categories into plain language. It cannot read your screen, access an advertising profile, verify your selections, or reconstruct an ad auction. If a category is missing or a menu has changed, choosing an unknown outcome is useful too.
Where to find the platform’s explanation
On Google Search or YouTube, open the ad’s More or Info menu. On other sites, check which company the ad information identifies first. Google’s instructions
On Facebook or Instagram, start with the ad’s three-dot menu and look for “Why am I seeing this ad?” Menu labels can vary. Meta’s explanation guide
For a broader explanation, explore the guide library. To see how we handle sources and corrections, read our editorial policy.