• by Tobi Elkin  @tobielkin, November 17, 2016

Phunware, a multiscreen as a service real-time audience platform, on Thursday announced a partnership with data platform Pixalate to fight ad fraud. Phunware will use Pixalate’s fraud prevention solutions across its platform.

Phunware’s platform extends to more than 650 million monthly active devices every month, to monitor for and prevent fraudulent and non-human traffic across mobile monetization and audience-building campaigns.

The partnership with Pixalate extends Phunware’s commitment to fighting ad fraud, expanding on its existing Phunware Protect tool, which uses proprietary technology and third-party verification to ensure campaigns are running in 100% brand-safe environments and in front of real human beings.

"Mitigating fraud is among the best ways to maximize every advertising dollar spent, and is critical in ensuring the continued growth of mobile advertising,” Amin Bandeali, CTO at Pixalate, told Real-Time Daily via email. “It’s no longer enough to simply join in the conversation around ending ad fraud. In partnering with Phunware, we’re taking real action to not only identify fraud, but stop it at the source,” Bandeali said

“Fraud has the ability to make or break the long-term success of mobile advertising,” Alan Knitowski, CEO and co-founder of Phunware, told Real-Time Daily. “While the growing conversation on the topic has certainly helped shed light on the gravity of the challenge, ultimately it's real, tactical solutions that are going to put an end to it. At the end of the day agencies have to stop hiding behind false data and brands have to start demanding more transparency.”