RTB Corner for February 1, 2018 - The latest news and views for the Supply-Side and DSP Community.
When good publishers go bad: How 'premium' publishers get caught up in ad fraud and how it can be prevented
Every corner of the programmatic ecosystem can be affected by ad fraud. Even premium publishers get pulled into the ecosystem's fraudulent underbelly, and some don't know where the problem is originating or how to prevent it. Here are some talking points to help facilitate conversations about quality with publisher partners. (Fraudlogix)Four Google Chrome extensions, downloaded 500,000 times, have been found to contain malware being used for a click-fraud scheme. Security researchers at ICEBRG found the infected extensions after detecting an unusual spike in outbound traffic from a customer's work station. (The Inquirer)
2018 will be the year of reckoning for mobile app-install fraud
New York Times exposes "Follower Factory"
In an in-depth piece, the New York times exposes bot-driven activity within the social-media/influencer-marketing channel. The story details a company named Devumi, which was paid by numerous "influencers" - including celebrities, sports stars, and many public personalities - to boost followers and engagement in social media. (New York Times)
YouTube serves up ads with CPU-draining cryptocurrency miners
YouTube was recently caught displaying ads that covertly leach off visitors' CPUs and electricity to generate digital currency on behalf of anonymous attackers. Researchers said the attackers behind the ads were abusing Google's DoubleClick ad platform to display ads to YouTube visitors in select countries, including Japan, France, Taiwan, Italy, and Spain. (arsTechnica)
Debunking common blockchain-saving-advertising myths
Digiday takes a look at the buzz around blockchain and cryptocurrencies in advertising, and tries to distinguish between fact and fiction. (Digiday)
Flashtalking merges with Spongecell to fuel US and global expansion
UK-based Flashtalking has merged with the dynamic creative optimization specialist Spongecell. The combined entity is expected to gain more dominance in the US and internationally. (AdExchanger)
Vox Media eyes sandboxing to prevent malicious ads
Vox Media is looking into sandboxing, where ads are loaded into iframes, to eliminate malicious ads from its sites. The publisher has been repeatedly hit with bad ads and redirects. (Digiday)
Tapad getting out of the media services game
Cross-device provider Tapad is offloading its media business with Brand Networks, a social marketing tech firm that serves large retail brands and enterprise clients. (AdExchanger)
