This week's review of ad fraud and quality in the digital advertising space.
"This year, digital will make up more than half (51%) of total US ad spending for the first time, according to new GroupM estimates," reported eMarketer. "GroupM said that digital advertising has been a 'bright spot' for advertisers in a difficult year," noted eMarketer.
"The Alliance for Audited Media has launched a third-party audit program for digital publishers, which the organization says is a key step in the fight against digital ad fraud," reported MediaPost. "The program requires large publishers to use technology vendors accredited by the MRC for sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT) detection."
Vancouver's public transportation agency was targeted by ransomware, according to ZDNet, and eMarketer notes that the attack "serve[s] as a reminder that security and privacy concerns remain a significant barrier to deployment" of "Smart Cities." According to eMarketer, "The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred on some new smart city initiatives that aim to modernize public infrastructure and services through the extensive use of embedded sensors, video surveillance systems, and advanced data analytics to improve public health and safety."