Blacklight - Website Privacy Inspector
Bach Le
About Blacklight
Blacklight is an open-source web privacy tool that detects potential user tracking and surveillance on any website.
During a transformative work at non-profit newsroom The Markup, I worked to optimize Blacklight's architecture, enhance performance, add key features, modernize integrations, and align it with industry best practices.
Blacklight lets anyone freely analyze the tracking technologies present on websites. Users enter a URL and get an instant report detailing trackers and data collection methods detected behind the scenes.
This transparency tool aligns perfectly with The Markup's mission to hold Big Tech accountable and educate the public.
Improving Website Privacy Analysis
I recently contributed to The Markup, a non-profit newsroom investigating issues at the intersection of technology and society. I worked on enhancing their flagship privacy inspection tool called Blacklight.
My core contributions involved:
- Optimizing performance: Reduced high timeout rates and latency issues to improve reliability.
- Adding features: Built targeted URL scans, an API key system, and better response structures.
- Documentation: Created comprehensive API references to spur external integrations.
- Cloud migration: Leveraged AWS Lambda and S3 to scale seamlessly.
- Published an article: Wrote a technical article detailing the process of identifying and resolving a critical bug in Blacklight
Key Takeaways
Getting hands-on with a widely used production tool was an invaluable learning experience. I gained exposure to real-world complexity, including balancing user needs, architectural constraints, and business goals.
Delivering high-impact changes taught me valuable lessons:
- Start with understanding systems before altering them
- Collaborate closely with cross-functional partners
- Balance perfectionism with pragmatism
I'm grateful to have contributed to a project empowering privacy for internet users worldwide. The skills and perspective I've developed will serve me well in future roles at the nexus of technology and social good.
Let me know in the comments if you have any website-tracking stories or questions!
