AdsUncovered started with something very ordinary: annoying ads on YouTube that kept appearing again and again.
At first, they were mostly irritating – repetitive videos, exaggerated promises, bizarre advice, AI-generated presenters, and dramatic claims designed to stop you from scrolling.
But the more we looked into the ads we were seeing, the more we realized that the problem goes far beyond annoyance.
Online ads can be misleading, manipulative or deceptive. Some promote products through fake experts, deepfake celebrities, hidden subscriptions, fabricated urgency or claims that are difficult to verify. Others may lead users to questionable websites, unwanted recurring charges or services that are very different from what the advertisement suggests.
And in some cases, the ads may be connected to outright scams or fraud.
That is why we decided to create AdsUncovered.
When an advertisement catches our attention for the wrong reasons, we look into what is actually behind it.
We research the company, product or service being advertised, what it really offers, who appears to operate it, how much it costs, whether there is a recurring subscription, how cancellation and refunds work, what customers are reporting, and whether the claims made in the ad stand up to closer scrutiny.
We also look at the advertisement itself. How it tries to get your attention, what techniques it uses to persuade you, and whether the impression it creates matches the reality behind the product.