What is Taboola? The "content you may like" tracker.
Taboola explained for users: those "recommended for you" boxes on Indian news sites, what data they may use, and how to think about the privacy risk.
The simple answer
Taboola powers many of the "recommended for you" or "around the web" boxes you see below articles on news and content sites. These look like content, but they are largely a recommendation and advertising network.
To recommend and measure, such networks can use signals about what you read and click. The privacy question is what is collected to personalise those boxes and whether it is disclosed.
What to check
If this is unclear, treat it as a signal to ask the company for a plain-English explanation.
If this is unclear, treat it as a signal to ask the company for a plain-English explanation.
If this is unclear, treat it as a signal to ask the company for a plain-English explanation.
If this is unclear, treat it as a signal to ask the company for a plain-English explanation.
Recommendations are advertising too.
In the investigation, content-recommendation and ad networks mattered because they can sit on pages quietly while using reading behaviour to personalise and measure.
What to do next
Keep it practical: take one action, save proof, and avoid giving more data than the task needs.
Keep it practical: take one action, save proof, and avoid giving more data than the task needs.
Keep it practical: take one action, save proof, and avoid giving more data than the task needs.
People also ask
Are those recommended boxes ads?
Often yes. Many are paid placements from recommendation and advertising networks, not neutral editorial picks.
Does Taboola track me?
Recommendation networks can use behaviour signals to personalise and measure. The exact data depends on the setup.
Should publishers disclose it?
Yes. Users should know when recommendation and advertising networks run on a page.
How many trackers run on your pages? Does your privacy policy name them? Can you answer a data-rights email? If you don't know, we can help you find out.
Talk to Meridian Bridge Strategy →Your personal data belongs to you. Under DPDP, every company must tell you what they have and delete it if you ask. One email is all it takes.
Get the template email →We investigated 107 Indian company websites. The public report shows what we found.