Click validation through proof of impression - Adjust unveils a new standard against mobile ad fraud

Adjust last week unveiled a new methodology to fight mobile ad fraud: click validation through proof of impression. Adjust's new standard for Click Validation encourages ad networks to send impression data with a unique identifier that corresponds with resulting clicks from users.

By requesting an impression before the click, it will make it possible to check if there was a matching engagement made by the same device - leading to more accurate attribution and less budget wasted on ad fraud. The new standard will first be piloted with select clients already using Adjust's Fraud Prevention Suite.

The validation requirement increases the workload for fraudsters seeking to steal brands' and advertisers' ad budgets, particularly through the most prevalent methods of ad fraud in the market today: Click injection and click spamming.

Throughout the year, proof of impression will become a core requirement for all network members of the Coalition Against Ad Fraud (CAAF), an industry-wide alliance founded by Adjust to tackle mobile ad fraud.

Ad Networks including Adcolony, Applift, Aarki, Chartboost, InMobi, ironSource, Liftoff, Vungle, and programmatic in-house software Kayzen have already begun implementing the new standard into their system.

"This new Click Validation industry standard raises the bar for fraudsters, making fraud far less lucrative," explained, Paul H. Müller, Co-Founder & CTO at Adjust. "This step toward transparency is long overdue, and we invite all ad networks and attribution providers to adopt this new improved standard as soon as possible. Only by working together will we be able to get rid of ad fraud for good."