# Ghostery privacy rating

Browser extension from Ghostery that blocks ads, trackers and cookie pop-ups and shows which trackers each site uses.

## Summary

Ghostery scores 65 out of 100 (grade C) on the ad and tracker blockers criteria. It meets 3 of 7 criteria: open source, effective by default and custom filters. It partly meets no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales and no browsing data collected. It does not meet independent audit. It is based in Germany: Fourteen Eyes member; EU member (GDPR).

- Website: https://www.ghostery.com
- Source code: https://github.com/ghostery/ghostery-extension
- License: GPL-3.0
- Jurisdiction: Germany. Fourteen Eyes member. EU member (GDPR).
- Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS
- Home page trackers: none found
- Category: [Ad and tracker blockers](https://privacyratings.com/ad-blockers/)
- Grade: C (65/100)

## Criteria

| Criterion | Answer | Note | Evidence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Yes | GPL-3.0. | https://github.com/ghostery/ghostery-extension/blob/main/LICENSE |
| No trackers or telemetry | Partial | The extension sends a daily non-personal installation ping by default. No third-party trackers. | https://www.ghostery.com/privacy/policy |
| No ads or data sales | Partial | Funded by donations plus non-targeted sponsored links and search engine revenue sharing in Ghostery Private Search. | https://www.ghostery.com/ghostery-manifesto |
| Independent audit | No | No independent audit is published. |  |
| Effective by default | Yes | Blocks ads, trackers and cookie pop-ups by default, for free. | https://www.ghostery.com/ghostery-ad-blocker |
| No browsing data collected | Partial | Filtering happens on the device, but a daily installation ping and anonymous tracker observations for WhoTracks.me are sent by default. | https://www.ghostery.com/privacy/policy |
| Custom filters | Yes | Supports custom filter rules in the settings. | https://github.com/ghostery/ghostery-extension/tree/main/src/background/custom-filters |

Source: https://privacyratings.com/ad-blockers/ghostery/
Edit: https://github.com/privacyratings/privacyratings.com/edit/main/ratings/ad-blockers/ghostery.md