Case Study: University of Glasgow enriches web tracking analysis with WhoisXML API

Web Categorization Data Enriches Web Tracking Analysis

The University of Glasgow worked with WhoisXML API on TrackerHunt, a Chrome extension created by student Fergus Smith to teach users about web tracking. The challenge was not only detecting which websites were tracking users, but also understanding what kinds of pages those trackers were associated with.

WhoisXML API’s Website Categorization API was integrated into the game so that each detected tracker could be categorized and shown to users, adding deeper context to the browsing data. The solution also provided confidence ratings that helped improve accuracy, and Smith reported that requests were reliable and categories were returned even for unknown sites, strengthening the educational value of the project.

University of Glasgow