• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, March 1, 2021

The ad industry's self-regulatory organization Trustworthy Accountability Group and the China Advertising Association are rolling out anti-fraud certifications as well as brand-safety certifications in China, the organizations said Monday.

The move comes almost one year after Trustworthy Accountability Group partnered with the Beijing-based nonprofit.

The groups will begin issuing certifications immediately to companies that meet the organizations' anti-fraud and brand-safety standards.

The organizations require companies to meet a set of brand-safety requirements that incorporate standards mandated by the Chinese government.

In addition, companies wishing to obtain certification in China will be required to obtain independent validation of compliance.

The China Digital Advertising Technology Laboratory -- a joint initiative of the China Advertising Association and the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology -- is among the organizations that will offer third-party validation.

The Trustworthy Accountability Group currently requires companies that obtain anti-fraud certifications for European or global operations to obtain independent validation, but allows businesses in other parts of the world -- including the United States -- to self-attest to compliance.

The China Advertising Association includes around 2,000 companies, including advertisers, publishers, agencies representing influencers and educational research institutions.