PubMatic is pleased to announce we have been accredited with the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) “Certified Against Fraud” seal in April 2018. The seal recognizes our ongoing dedication to “combatting fraudulent non–human traffic in the digital advertising supply chain.”
TAG is a global certification program leader in rooting out criminal activities and restoring faith in the digital advertising industry. Forged through top trade organizations, TAG is committed to eliminating fraudulent traffic, combating malware, preventing Internet piracy and promoting greater transparency in digital advertising.
“We are delighted to recognize PubMatic with TAG’s Certified Against Fraud Seal, demonstrating its leadership in adopting TAG’s rigorous standards in fighting non-human traffic,” said Mike Zaneis, CEO of TAG. “We look forward to continuing to work with PubMatic to raise the bar for the digital ad industry in fighting fraud and other criminal activities that damage the supply chain.” 
In addition to our recent TAG certification, we are actively fueling advertising innovation by exceeding industry standards. Our mission is to provide a transparent and brand-safe marketplace for not only our partners but the ad tech ecosystem, as a whole.
PubMatic has zero-tolerance for fraud on our platform. We strive to protect the advertiser’s trust by maintaining a clean media buying platform with strict inventory quality and brand safety requirements. To further our quality mission, PubMatic is also proud of the following initiatives, rankings and partnerships:
Pixalate:
The TAG certification follows on the heels of another industry-wide recognition for our inventory quality efforts. Pixalate’s reports provide a worldwide standing in programmatic advertising quality rankings. PubMatic was ranked the #1 International leader (November 2017) and tied for the leading score in the US (December 2017) for Pixalate’s Global Seller Trust Index (GSTI).
Pixalate’s monthly index analyzes vendors based on several criteria including viewability, fraud, engagement, domain masking, and network quality. PubMatic specifically differentiated itself from the field by getting “A” marks across reach, General Invalid Traffic (GIVT), viewability, and masking.
Quality Compliance Team:
We have a dedicated global inventory quality (IQ) team who adamantly believes a clean environment benefits everyone. PubMatic takes a rigorous approach to eliminating and preventing ad fraud as evidenced by our existing operational processes.
Through daily reporting, we identify IQ issues and, as needed, communicate with the relevant publisher to develop a plan of action to rectify the problem. Our task force also reviews all fraud reports, investigates DSP complaints and relays findings to our customer success management teams. If improvements are not seen within a defined timeframe, possible responses include pausing or terminating the publisher account.
Global Quality Partnerships:
In addition to our proprietary technology, we partner with Media Rating Counsel (MRC) accredited inventory quality vendors, such as Integral Ad Science (IAS) and White Ops, which conduct brand-safety checks and inventory screening across multiple formats and platforms. We view these vendors as partners, sharing data and feedback to keep ahead of fraud schemes. A press release about our White Ops partnership is available here.
Fraud-Free Program:
Additionally, PubMatic announced our Fraud-Free Program for demand partners in November 2017. Under the program, if fraud is detected, demand partners don’t pay for it. PubMatic provides a credit for any suspect traffic served by PubMatic, if program criteria are met.
ads.txt Outreach:
PubMatic also ranks among industry leaders in ads.txt publisher listings, according to Pixalate’s GSTI report. This is a direct reflection of our efforts to support and create increased transparency across the programmatic landscape.
In the domains where we manage monetization, we have pushed for ads.txt adoption. Our global customer success management teams reached out to each of our publisher clients last fall to encourage adoption. Additionally, we have shared an ads.txt implementation guide with a step-by-step walkthrough of the process.
What’s Next?
We will continue our efforts to maintain a brand-safe programmatic ecosystem. PubMatic will fight the good fight and we urge our supply-chain partners to join us in keeping the programmatic ecosystem as clean as possible.
