--- title: "Pixalate Week in Review: December 11 - 15, 2017" description: Pixalate reviews this week's news in the programmatic ad fraud space. Find the most critical ad tech and privacy news from 11-15 December 2017. image: https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/magician-magic-trick.png --- [![pixalate-full-logo](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Pixalate_Logos/pixalate-full-logo.jpg?width=150&height=60&name=pixalate-full-logo.jpg "pixalate-full-logo")](https://www.pixalate.com) Search **Menu** ** ** ![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/magician-magic-trick.png) [Weekly Recaps](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/weekly-recaps) | 3 min read # Pixalate Week in Review: December 11 - 15, 2017 Written by [Tyler Loechner](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/author/tyler-loechner) Dec 15, 2017 1:21:53 PM This week's review of ad fraud and quality in the digital advertising space. ### **1. BuzzFeed: How some networks are creating traffic 'out of thin air'** **![magician-magic-trick.png](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/magician-magic-trick.png?width=640&name=magician-magic-trick.png)** A [BuzzFeed News](https://www.buzzfeed.com/craigsilverman/porn-runs-the-internet?utm_term=.smL038J41#.gnYegdmX3) article details how some "[u]nscrupulous ad networks and publishers have come up with a way to generate massive amounts of fake traffic and ad impressions. And like many things on the internet, it traces its origins to porn." The networks can create traffic out of thin air using a method reported on by Pixalate earlier this year. BuzzFeed News wrote: "Ad fraud detection company Pixalate [documented](https://blog.pixalate.com/momtaxi-session-hijacking-auto-refresh-ad-fraud-site) this activity in a recent investigation and dubbed the web properties using it 'zombie sites' due to their ability to automatically generate traffic without human activity." ### **2. Google study: Up to $1.27 billion is lost each year to spoofed domains** **![spoofing-domain.png](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/spoofing-domain.png?width=640&name=spoofing-domain.png)** [The Drum](http://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/12/12/google-study-warns-widespread-video-ad-fraud-encourages-wider-adstxt-takeup) has reported on a Google study which notes that "[p]ublishers are losing up to $1.27bn a year due to fraudsters impersonating their inventory on ad exchanges." The study found that fraudsters can generate up to 700 million false ad requests each day. The Drum added: "The study found that publishers were losing up to $3.5m a day based on a valuation of $5 video CPMs, due to fraudsters ‘spoofing’ their web domains on ad exchanges, with the total loss to premium publishers equating to over $1.27bn a year." ### **3. Ads.txt adoption continues to grow** **![steps-rising-up-progress.png](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/steps-rising-up-progress.png?width=640&name=steps-rising-up-progress.png)** **"**Six months after the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Tech Lab released final specs for ads.txt, the programmatic supply chain is embracing it as a minimum standard for filtering inventory," reported [MediaPost](https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/311362/the-smart-money-is-on-adstxt-literally.html). "Since [RTBlog first reported](https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/307745/good-idea-but-adstxt-isnt-exactly-crushing-it-.html) on a Pixalate tracking study of publishers incorporating ads.txt, the number has grown from 3,523 in September to 53,390 currently," the article added. "Among the top 1,000 Alexa-ranked sites, penetration is now up to 18.6%, according to Pixalate." ### **4. Is the pursuit of viral content linked to ad fraud?** **![viral-content.png](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/viral-content.png?width=640&name=viral-content.png)** Nigel Gilbert, VP of strategic development, EMEA, at AppNexus, penned an op-ed in [Campaign U.S.](https://www.campaignlive.com/article/publishers-pursue-viral-content-likely-engage-ad-fraud/1452637) asserting that viral content can be a warning sign that a publisher is involved with invalid traffic — either knowingly or unknowingly. Per Gilbert, AppNexus research "found that viral content—subject matter that capitalises on people’s changing media consumption habits and shortened attention span—is a warning sign that a publisher is either knowingly or unknowingly purchasing fraudulent traffic for itself, or redirecting non-human users to other sites to drive monetisation." ### **5. Brands are underestimating mobile ad fraud, new study finds** **![mobile-phone-data-visuals.png](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/mobile-phone-data-visuals.png?width=640&name=mobile-phone-data-visuals.png)** New survey results from Forrester Consulting, reported on by [Street Fight](http://streetfightmag.com/2017/12/13/report-cmos-overwhelmed-by-cost-of-mobile-ad-fraud/), found that brands are underestimating mobile ad fraud. "Forrester’s survey found that 43% of marketers have seen an increase in mobile fraud over the last 12 months, but only 19% of enterprise marketers currently have systematic fraud prevention in place," the article noted. *Sign up for our blog to stay updated with new stats, trends, and analysis on digital ad fraud.* ### Search Blog Search ### Follow Pixalate ### Subscribe to our blog *By entering your email address and clicking Subscribe, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use ](https://www.pixalate.com/terms)and [Privacy Policy.](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) Previous Story [← Pixalate Week in Review: December 4 - 8, 2017](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/programmatic-ad-fraud-news-week-in-review-december-8-2017) [** ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog) Next Story [Pixalate Releases November 2017 Seller Trust Indexes, Now Featuring Ads.txt Scores →](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/global-mobile-video-seller-trust-index-november-2017) ## You May Also Like These Stories on Weekly Recaps [![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/pixalate-week-review-june-13.png) ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/june-20-2025) [Weekly Recaps](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/weekly-recaps) ### [Pixalate Week in Review: June 16 - June 20, 2025](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/june-20-2025) Jun 20, 2025 11:09:13 AM | 3 min read [![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/pixalate-week-review-june-13.png) ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/june-13-2025) [Weekly Recaps](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/weekly-recaps) ### [Pixalate Week in Review: June 9 - June 13, 2025](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/june-13-2025) Jun 13, 2025 11:39:50 AM | 3 min read [![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/June-6-Pixalate-Recap.png) ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/june-6-2025) [Weekly Recaps](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/weekly-recaps) ### [Pixalate Week in Review: June 2 - June 6, 2025](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/june-6-2025) Jun 6, 2025 1:00:13 PM | 2 min read ** ### Subscribe to our blog *By entering your email address and clicking Subscribe, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use ](https://www.pixalate.com/terms)and [Privacy Policy.](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) ![pixalate-logo-red-small](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2018NewTemplate/pixalate-logo-red-small.png?width=208&name=pixalate-logo-red-small.png "pixalate-logo-red-small") ** By entering your email address and clicking Subscribe, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.pixalate.com/terms) and [Privacy Policy](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) Products [Analytics](https://www.pixalate.com/products/analytics) [Blocking](https://www.pixalate.com/products/blocking) [Media Rating Terminal](https://www.pixalate.com/products/mrt) [Publisher Trust Indexes](https://www.pixalate.com/rankings/?group=app&reportId=publisherTrustIndex) [Seller Trust Indexes](https://www.pixalate.com/rankings/?group=app&reportId=publisherTrustIndex) [IoT Device Rankings](https://www.pixalate.com/rankings/?group=app&reportId=iotDeviceReach) Resources [Blog](https://blog.pixalate.com/) [Press](https://www.pixalate.com/press) [Careers](https://www.pixalate.com/jobs) [Team](https://info.pixalate.com/pixalate-leadership-team) Contact Email [** sales@pixalate.com ](mailto:sales@pixalate.com) [** privacy@pixalate.com ](mailto:privacy@pixalate.com) US: [** +1 888 749 2528 ](tel:+1%20888%20749%202528) EU: [** +44 (0)800 011 2050 ](tel:+44%20(0)800%20011%202050) Slack: [Join ATSAPI Slack Channel ](https://atsapi-pixalate.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-10dtow5cj-OEtlNr5yzJkrZMQUqcEEow#/shared-invite/email) Offices Global Offices US 1775 Greensboro Station Place, Suite 425, McLean, VA 22102 UK 20 North Audley Street London, W1K 6WE, United Kingdom EU 10 Earlsfort Terrace Dublin 2, D02 T380, Ireland Singapore 10 Anson Road, #22-02 International Plaza, Singapore 079903 [![facebook](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/facebook.png) ](https://www.facebook.com/pixalate) [![x](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/twitter-x.png) ](https://twitter.com/pixalateinc) [![linkedin](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/linkedin.png) ](https://www.linkedin.com/company/pixalate) ![wechat](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/wechat.png) [![slack](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/slack.png) ](https://atsapi-pixalate.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-10dtow5cj-OEtlNr5yzJkrZMQUqcEEow#/shared-invite/email) [Terms of Use](https://www.pixalate.com/terms) [Privacy Policy](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) [GDPR Compliance](https://www.pixalate.com/gdpr) Disclaimer Copyright © 2025 Pixalate [Back to top **](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/programmatic-ad-fraud-news-week-in-review-december-15-2017#) # Disclaimer Disclaimer: The content of this page reflects Pixalate’s opinions with respect to the factors that Pixalate believes can be useful to the digital media industry. Any proprietary data shared is grounded in Pixalate’s proprietary technology and analytics, which Pixalate is continuously evaluating and updating. Any references to outside sources should not be construed as endorsements. Pixalate’s opinions are just that - opinion, not facts or guarantees. Per the MRC, “'Fraud' is not intended to represent fraud as defined in various laws, statutes and ordinances or as conventionally used in U.S. Court or other legal proceedings, but rather a custom definition strictly for advertising measurement purposes. Also per the MRC, “‘Invalid Traffic’ is defined generally as traffic that does not meet certain ad serving quality or completeness criteria, or otherwise does not represent legitimate ad traffic that should be included in measurement counts. 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