Authenticated Digital Launches Ad-Authentication Platform

Authenticated Digital has launched a platform aiming to bring “full transparency to display, mobile and online video advertising by verifying the authenticity of each impression,” according to a release.

The platform includes pre-bid and post-bid RTB (real-time bidding) analytic tools and was designed for digital media buyers and sellers including brands, publishers, agencies, ad-tech companies and trading desks.

OpenX co-founders Damon Reeve and Scott Switzer founded Authenticated Digital in 2014. Below is a conversation with Switzer, CTO of Authenticated Digital, which has been lightly edited and condensed.

Real-Time Daily: What's the advantage of using this new platform for analytics rather than the data available from a DSP or SSP?

Scott Switzer: We're using a full audit trail to determine the site or app where the ad is loaded. Many platforms (like DSPs and SSPs) either use technologies that can easily be sidestepped by fraudsters, or assume the information they receive from their supplier is correct. We have determined that at least 20% of the time, the publisher domain or app name is incorrect. 

RTD: Could you explain what you mean by "authentic impressions"?

Switzer:
Authentic impressions are those where an audit trail for an ad can be built, and we have determined that the Web site or app where the ad ran is the same as what was listed in the bid request. They’re sold by suppliers who work directly with the publisher (for example, they are not recycled), and do not contain other types of fraud, such as bot fraud or hidden ads.

RTD: What inspired this product launch?

Switzer: During the early days of RTB, we saw firsthand the issue that by buying ads using a server-side process, an ad network does not have the ability to measure information (such as domain) firsthand by having an ad tag running on the page before a bid is made. This problem -- which causes a lack of transparency and therefore a lack of trust -- is the reason why we started Authenticated Digital. 

Next story loading loading..