Pixalate Week in Review: July 3 - 7, 2017

This week's review of ad fraud and quality in the digital advertising space.

Click the Stat of the Week for more information.

1. Pixalate receives MRC accreditation for Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT) detection and filtration

Pixalate this week received accreditation from the Media Rating Council (MRC) for Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT) detection and filtration for desktop and mobile web impressions. MediaPost has the full story. "In addition, the fraud protection provider said it has been granted continued MRC accreditation for desktop display viewability measurement," MediaPost wrote.

2. Brands worry Twitter underestimates its bot problem

Advertising Age reports that some brands are concerned that Twitter is underestimating its bot problem. The article features insights from Pixalate. "Pixalate, an outside measurement firm, said that Twitter has a bigger bot problem than its rivals. Twitter bots accounted for 3% to 17% of traffic coming from Twitter to outside websites measured by Pixalate in June," the article read. "Meanwhile, Facebook saw up to 3% of its traffic coming from bots, Instagram saw 4% and Pinterest saw between 2% and 9%, according to Pixalate's analysis [from] June."

3. 'CopyCat' malware infects 14 million Google Android devices

According to Fortune, a new type of malware, dubbed "CopyCat," infected 14 million Google Android devices "and raked in more than a million dollars through fraudulent advertising and app installations." The article added: "The malware operation, which peaked during April and May 2016, spread to as many as 14 million phones and tablets and garnered as much as $1.5 million in the space of those two months."

4. Magazine publisher Dennis trying to improve programmatic transparency via blockchain

Digiday has reported that magazine publisher Dennis "wants to improve the transparency of digital ad trading, and it believes blockchain technology could hold the answer." Dennis — in coordination with the Guardian, Financial Times, CNN International, Reuters, and Mansueto — is working to create an SSP prototype using blockchain. Pixalate previously noted that while blockchain technology could very well improve transparency in programmatic, ad fraud issues would remain.

5. Programmatic problems with fraud, viewability — and how to solve them

Programmatic has been plagued by "click fraud, brand safety, data privacy, [and] viewability," writes Econsultancy, recapping a presentation given by Hari Shankar, MD at Havas Group's Escelis. Shankar concluded that a transparent programmatic buying model must be set up in order to solve the issues.

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