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If you’ve ever wondered what really happens behind the scenes when you visit a website, Blacklight is one of the tools worth knowing. Built as a privacy inspection service, it lets anyone scan a webpage and see which tracking technologies are quietly at work. With its latest update, Blacklight adds two major players to the list: TikTok and X.

Until now, the tool mainly focused on trackers from Google and Meta. That was already revealing, but in 2026 it no longer tells the full story. Social platforms increasingly collect data far beyond their own apps, and this update reflects that reality.

Why tracking pixels still matter

Tracking pixels are small pieces of code embedded in websites. They’re invisible to users, but they send information back to the companies that operate them. That data can include page visits, interactions, searches, and sometimes purchase-related activity.

When the same pixel appears across thousands of websites, it allows platforms to stitch together detailed user profiles. Those profiles are the backbone of targeted advertising, but they also raise serious questions about consent, transparency, and how widely personal data is shared.

What Blacklight can now show you

By entering a URL into Blacklight, users can now see whether a site includes TikTok or X pixels alongside other trackers. For those who want to dig deeper, the tool also offers downloadable archives with more detailed technical information about the data being transmitted.

Blacklight doesn’t claim to explain exactly how companies use that data afterward. What it does offer is visibility, something that’s still surprisingly rare on the modern web.

Built with help from academia

The new detection features were developed in collaboration with computer science students from Brandeis University, working as part of a software engineering capstone project. It’s a reminder that some of the most useful transparency tools come from partnerships between newsrooms, technologists, and researchers.

A clearer picture of online tracking

Blacklight has already played a role in uncovering how tracking pixels appeared on government and public service websites, sometimes exposing sensitive user information and triggering legal and regulatory responses. Adding TikTok and X helps paint a broader picture of how widespread third-party tracking has become.

For users who want to go beyond inspection and actively limit tracking, pairing tools like Blacklight with privacy-focused services can make a real difference. Options such as a privacy-first DNS like NextDNS or a well-established VPN like Proton VPN are often used to reduce background data collection during everyday browsing.

Blacklight itself remains a solid starting point, not for paranoia, but for understanding how the web actually works today.