Launched in 2012, the Ads Integrity Alliance is tasked with safeguarding Internet users from malicious and deceptive ads and improving trust in online advertising. Alliance members work collaboratively to develop best practices, share threat information, and increase awareness of bad ads and the work being done to address them.

In February, the Alliance hosted the first in a series of panels on bad ads at the M3AAWG security conference; we will soon publish an inaugural set of industry recommendations to provide common language and standard definitions around bad ads.

“Microsoft is pleased to be joining the Ads Integrity Alliance. We’ll be actively engaged in supporting the Alliance’s goals of collaboration, education, and developing best practices to uphold user safety,” said David Gottlieb, Bing Ads Network Quality and Policy Manager at Microsoft Corp.

With Bing Ads’ participation, the Alliance welcomes another key partner in its work to make the Web safer for all users. “We couldn’t be more thrilled that Microsoft has joined forces with the Ads Integrity Alliance,” said Chris Mejia, Director of Ad Technology at the Interactive Advertising Bureau and a member of the Alliance’s Executive Committee. “Through its participation in the IAB’s Consumer Protection Task Force, Microsoft has proven to be a leader in fighting bad actors online— joining the Alliance further demonstrates its commitment to fostering a safe Internet ecosystem.”

The Council of the Better Business Bureaus is a perfect addition to the Alliance’s membership fold, a partnership harkening back to the BBB’s founding goal one hundred years ago of protecting consumers from bad advertising.  Today, that goal remains a core component of the CBBB’s mission.  The Council of Better Business Bureaus is both the umbrella organization for BBBs across North America and the headquarters for a number of nationally administered advertising self-regulation programs, aimed at protecting consumers from untrue and misleading advertisements both online and off.  We at the Alliance look forward to tapping into the Better Business Bureau’s long history and expertise in developing both standards and industry policy and in establishing monitoring and compliance systems.

The Media Trust comes at digital marketing from a different angle as a malvertising-prevention, ad-security, and creative quality automation service for online and mobile advertising.  TMT identifies and stops malvertising for hundreds of companies every day, monitoring and helping clients manage between twenty and thirty-five malvertising vectors daily, resulting in 95% of malware alerts being acted upon by TMT clients before the malicious attack starts.  TMT’s historical and real-time information on bad ads is a welcome addition to the kind of collaborative information and trend sharing that is vital to the Alliance’s mission.

The Ads Integrity Alliance warmly welcomes The Council of Better Business Bureaus and The Media Trust, two new and valuable allies in our fight to protect users from bad ads.

Apply today and get ready to:

• Learn from the Alliance’s growing community new ideas about how to keep your platforms and customers safer.
• Build your professional connections and contribute your expertise.
• Collaborate with other members to create industry policy recommendations and gather best practices.
• Demonstrate your commitment to creating a safe online environment.

Online advertising has been a driving force in the growth of the Web as a platform for commerce, innovation, and expression. With success have come bad actors that threaten the trust people place in their favorite websites and the advertising infrastructure that supports them. Ad industry leaders have been working hard to protect users from bad ads, including those that deliver malware, direct users to scams, or try to sell counterfeit goods. The Alliance will enhance these efforts by allowing leaders to combine their expertise and raise standards for ad integrity.

“The Ads Integrity Alliance is a natural extension of StopBadware’s mission to make the Web safer by combating badware,” said the nonprofit organization’s executive director, Maxim Weinstein. “No one can address Internet-scale threats on their own, so we’re bringing together industry leading organizations to tackle the problem collaboratively.”

The Ads Integrity Alliance will build on efforts already in place by its members to curtail the proliferation of bad ads. In particular, the Alliance will:

Develop and share definitions, industry policy recommendations, and best practices

Serve as a platform for sharing information about bad actors

Share relevant trends with policymakers and law enforcement agencies

“Bad ads, such as those that facilitate malware distribution or deceive users, diminish the online user experience and threaten trust in the Web,” said Eric Davis, global public policy manager at Google. “The Ads Integrity Alliance will serve as a forum for us to work together to protect users from bad ads and strengthen trust in the advertising ecosystem.”

About StopBadware

StopBadware makes the Web safer through the prevention, mitigation, and remediation of badware websites. It began as a project of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University before spinning off as a standalone nonprofit organization in 2010. Corporate partners include Google, Mozilla, Verizon, PayPal, Verisign, and Qualys. StopBadware is based in Cambridge, Mass. For more information, visit StopBadware’s website.