Google Research Could Have Just Found a Solution to This Internet Problem
Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL) - Get Alphabet Inc. Class A Report Google has been working with media companies including Comcast's (CMCSA) - Get Comcast Corporation Class A Report NBC, CBS Corp (CBS) - Get CBS Corporation Class B Report and the New York Times (NYT) - Get New York Times Company Class A Report to stamp out bogus digital advertisements in a new initiative called ads.txt, Business Insider reported.
Ad "spoofing" happens when culprits buy cheap ad space on low-quality sites and falsely list the site as a premium one at a higher price, enticing advertisers to buy spots that will never run on the premium site they're told it will.
The ads.txt initiative had Google's media partners shut off all programmatic ads for short periods of time while Google searched for what ads were "listed" on their site by fraudsters. Google found thousands of ad spots still listed on the media sites, even though none were actually available.
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Ad exchanges are banking on a technical solution to the digital dilemma, with some supporting ads.txt while others branch out on their own technological research. AppNexus said it is a "strong proponent" of ads.txt. Verizon's (VZ) - Get Verizon Communications Inc. Report Oath said it has "invested in proprietary technology" on its buying platforms.
Alphabet stock traded slightly down premarket.
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