With the increased use of automated buying systems, large amounts of online advertising are not even being seen by a consumer.

JICWEBS (The Joint Industry Committee for Web Standards in the UK and Ireland), the body responsible for setting the standard for and benchmarking best practice for online ad trading has now introduced a certification process in an attempt to further tackle the problem of online ad fraud.

Their latest initiative involves companies such as publishers and tech providers voluntarily signing-up to be independently audited. This audit would involve validating each company's current processes in order to minimise exposure and risk to fraudulent ads. Each company will also need to show that they are complying with JICWEB's anti-fraud Good Practice Principles. Companies adhering to the Good Practice Principles will receive a certification seal, the first of which are expected to be issued in this quarter. The number of companies that have signed-up still remains unreported.

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