Invalid Traffic (IVT) Detection, Filtration and Prevention
Coull has a no-nonsense approach to keeping our platform clean and free from invalid traffic (IVT). We spare no expense protecting supplier reputation and buyer confidence, which is why we’ve invested heavily in the Coull Traffic Quality Assurance (TQA) program.
Coull’s invalid traffic detection, filtration and prevention procedures are developed and maintained, in-line with the ‘Media Ratings Council’s (MRC) Invalid Traffic Detection and Filtration Guidelines‘. Coull detects and actively block against both general invalid traffic (GIVT) and sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT) as defined by the IAB, MMA and MRC in these guidelines.
Coull Policy Details
Coull upholds an aggressive stance against fraudulent, misrepresented or manipulated traffic. Coull Platform supply partners are expected to maintain suitably minimised levels of invalid traffic through their account and we have a dedicated in-house compliance team to assist them in doing so.
Partners can monitor their performance (1) via the Invalid Traffic and Alerts feature of the Coull Platform Dashboard, and (2) through consultation feedback from Coull Compliance.
For supply tags with sufficient impressions:
- Partners must maintain an Invalid Traffic % less than 3% for all tags.
- Partners must maintain an Invalid Traffic % less than 5%, as individually measured by any of Coull’s trusted measurement vendors, for any tag. (Vendor specific measurement results are withheld for data confidentiality reasons, but may be made available on request).
- Partners must contact or respond to Compliance when an ‘IVT Alert’ is shown in their account dashboard so together we can remedy any invalid traffic sources to that tag.
We ask that all Coull Platform partners act in response to consultation with the Coull Compliance team and show active interest to remove invalid traffic sources. Partners who do not comply, or fail to cooperate under this or any other application area of Coull’s TQA program may be subject to partial or complete suspension of services until a re-negotiation of their quality status with Coull is met.
Coull also upholds the right to suspend partial or complete services based on other data that may be collected by our wider procedures outlined below but not included in the above.
Partners are encouraged to contact compliance@coull.com to discuss any further details or areas of concern regarding adherence to this or any other area of Coull’s TQA program.
How Coull Combat Invalid Traffic: Multi-Layered Detection
Coull employs the best MRC accredited measurement vendors in the industry for GIVT and SIVT detection to perform post-impression measurement. Unlike many competitors, we pass every impression that we serve to our partners for measurement. This alone imparts unrivalled protection against invalid traffic.
Coull’s proprietary technology is the first step in the ad-delivery process that detects and validates the true ad-serving environment. This way manipulated or misrepresented inventory is unmasked and filtered correctly.
Coull algorithms analyse and categorise supplier inventory that is human-verified by Coull Compliance. This double verification provides a deeper level of invalid domain detection, unequalled anywhere else. It also creates a whitelisted inventory pool that demand partners may opt to buy from with complete confidence.
Filtration
Coull automatically blocks all invalid traffic identified by our multi-layered detection. Coull proprietary and MRC recommended filters are applied to supply sources and include:
- Invalid IP blocking filters
- Invalid domain blocking filters
- 3rd party measured invalid traffic filters
Coull updates and maintains extensive data stores supporting these filters. Additional filters may also be applied on a partner specific basis in consultation with Coull Compliance.
Prevention
Supply partners to the Coull Platform are given direct access to invalid traffic data in the Platform Dashboard. For details and instructions of this product feature see Invalid Traffic and Alerts.
Coull expects partners to act upon this data to maintain the integrity of the Coull Platform and for the benefit of their business.
Additionally, Coull’s dedicated in-house compliance team are committed to case-by-case consultation with all partners, providing invalid traffic risk reduction advice and are available for customer support on request. Please contact compliance@coull.com.