Senators Want FTC to Tackle Ad Fraud

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FTC / Federal Trade CommissionTwo U.S. senators are worried about digital advertising fraud. The advertising landscape has changed, and ad fraud negatively impacts both advertisers and consumers, according to Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY).


The value of an ad impression very much depends on measured demand, “However, the problem with relying on clicks or views to measure that value is that recent studies have shown this data is frequently inaccurate,” they wrote in a letter to Edith Ramirez, chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission on Monday. The letter points to nonhuman traffic or “bots,” as the driving force behind ad fraud, reports AdAge.

The senators point to “malvertising,” when ads are enlisted to infect someone’s computer with malware, as a primary reason consumers are using ad blockers. They asked the FTC several questions related to digital ad fraud, including what trends are being observed and what the FTC is doing to protect consumer data.