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MRCSupplementtoIABGuidelinesfortheConductofAdVerification:EnhancedContentLevelContextandBrandSafety

July2018PublicCommentDraft

Sponsoringassociations:MediaRatingCouncil(MRC)AmericanAssociationofAdvertisingAgencies(4A’s)AssociationofNationalAdvertisers(ANA)InteractiveAdvertisingBureau(IABU.S.)

MRCAdVerificationSupplementPublicCommentDraft

©CopyrightMediaRatingCouncil,Inc.Allrightsreserved. 2

TableofContents1 ExecutiveSummary ...................................................................................................... 31.1 AbouttheDevelopmentofthisSupplement ....................................................................................... 5

2 ContentLevelGranularity ............................................................................................. 53 SocialMediaandUGC ................................................................................................... 73.1 DataFreshnessandQuality .................................................................................................................. 83.2 CurationofUGC .................................................................................................................................... 93.3 Scalability ............................................................................................................................................ 103.4 MachineLearning ............................................................................................................................... 103.5 HumanIntervention ........................................................................................................................... 123.6 MonetizationControls ....................................................................................................................... 133.7 TaxonomyandCategorization ........................................................................................................... 13

4 Adjacency ................................................................................................................... 165 Metadata ................................................................................................................... 176 MobileApplications .................................................................................................... 197 IllegalSourcesandIndustryCommunication ................................................................ 208 EnhancedBuyerTools ................................................................................................. 219 RequiredReporting ..................................................................................................... 2210 UseofSamples ......................................................................................................... 2311 GlossaryofTerms ..................................................................................................... 2312 References ............................................................................................................... 2413 SupportingAssociationsandParticipatingOrganizations ............................................ 2514 ContactUs ................................................................................................................ 27AppendixA:SectionSummaries ........................................................................................ 28

1 ExecutiveSummaryTheInteractiveAdvertisingBureau(IAB)andMediaRatingCouncil(MRC)producedtheGuidelinesforConductofAdVerification(theAdVerificationGuidelines)inFebruary2012,whichidentifiedacommonsetofacceptablemethodsandpracticesforconductingdigitaladverificationservices.Adverificationisaservicethatofferstechnologytoensurethatdigitaladsappearonintendedsitesandreachthetargetedaudience.Theoriginalprimaryservicelinesofadverificationare:(1)SiteContext,(2)Geo-Targeting,(3)AdPlacement,(4)CompetitiveSeparationand(5)FraudDetection.IncludedwithintheSiteContextservicelineistheconceptofBrandSafetyor,practicesandtoolstoensurethatanadwillnotappearinaContextthatcandamageanadvertiser’sbrand.Historically,BrandSafetyandtargetinghavebeenaddressedatadomain,siteorpagelevelwithContextclassificationandadalertingorblockingbasedonavoidanceortargetcategories.ForpurposesofthisSupplementContextreferstocertainattributesofapage,site,mobileapplicationorpieceofcontentthatareusedasdeterminantsastowhetherthedestinationwhereadigitaladistobeservedrepresentsanappropriateenvironmentinwhichtheadshouldappear,asdeterminedbyparameterssetbytheadvertiser.BrandSafetyreferstopracticesandtoolstoensurethatadigitaladwillnotappearadjacenttoorinaContextthatcandamageanadvertiser’sbrand.SincethedevelopmentoftheIAB/MRCAdVerificationGuidelines,thedigitaladvertisingecosystemhasbecomemuchmorecomplexandwiththiscomplexity,ContextandBrandSafetyissueshavebecomemorenuancedandchallenging.CompoundingthiscomplexityisthemonetizationofSocialMediaPlatformsandUserGeneratedContent(UGC),whichhasintroducedgreatvolumeandscaleaswellasreducedcontentcontrolwhencomparedtoprofessionallycuratedpublishercontent.TheMRCproducedSocialMediaMeasurementGuidelinesinNovember2015,whichhelpeddefinekeytermsforsocialmediaandestablishguidanceofmeasurementofsocialmediaactivity,audienceandadexposureonSocialMediaPlatforms.However,todate,theimpactofsocialmediamonetizationonContextandBrandSafetyhaslargelynotbeenaddressedinexistingmeasurementguidance.WhileexistingIABandMRCadmeasurementandverificationguidanceshouldcontinuetobeappliedtoSocialMediaPlatformsandUGC,thisSupplementisintendedtopromoteenhancedContextandBrandSafetyguidanceacrosstheseplatformsandcontentaswellastobeusedinconjunctionwithexistingguidanceaspartofMRCaccreditationauditing.Specifically,thisSupplementseekstoachievethefollowingobjectives:

• Establishguidanceformoregranular(contentlevel)ContextandBrandSafetymeasurementandreportingincludingvideoanddisplaycontentwithinadomain,site,platform,mobileapplicationorpage.

• EstablishguidanceforContextclassificationandBrandSafetymeasurementofsocialmediaandUGCincluding:

o DataFreshnessandQuality;o CurationofUGC;o Scalability;o MachineLearning;o HumanIntervention;o MonetizationControls;ando TaxonomyandCategorization

• Establishguidancefordefiningandmeasuringdomain,site,platform,mobileapplicationorpageAdjacencyinordertoenableContextandBrandSafetymechanismswithinthisparameter.

• Establishguidanceforingestion,useandconsiderationofcontentMetadata(suchascontentcharacteristics,userandexposureactivity,commentsandotherrelevantdata)forContextandBrandSafetyconsideration.

• EstablishguidanceforContextandBrandSafetyconsiderationswithinmobileapplications.

• Establishguidanceforidentification,monitoringandtreatmentofcontentfromillegalsourcesordomainsandIndustrycommunicationregardingknownbadsourcesandBrandSafetymatters.

• Establishguidanceforenhancedbuyertoolsforbothtargetingandavoidance.• EstablishguidanceforreportingofcontentlevelContextandBrandSafetyoutcomes.• EstablishguidanceforuseofsamplesinContextandBrandSafetymeasurement.

SocialMediaPlatformsandlargedigitalpublishersmayhaveadvancedtechniquestoidentifyandcategorizecontentforpurposesofContextandBrandSafety,howevertheindependentapproachofthird-partyverificationvendorsremainsofvitalimportance.Approachestocontentleveladverificationwillneedtobeacollaborativeapproach.Platformsandpublishersarestronglyencouragedtoeitherallowdirectthirdpartymeasurementatacontentlevel,ortoactivelyprovidevalidatedfirst-partydataatagranularleveltoenableindependentContextandBrandSafetymeasurement,oneofwhichwillberequiredforcontentlevelaccreditationofthird-partyadverificationsolutions.Further,thecollectionandtransmissionofdataenablingcontentlevelContextandBrandSafetydeterminationsisstronglyencouragedtobesubjectedtoauditandindependentvalidation.ItisimportanttonotewhenconsideringthevariousaspectsofContextandBrandSafetyinthisSupplementthatdifferentbuyersmaynotonlyhavedifferenttargetsandavoidancecategories,butalsodifferenttolerancelevelsforriskdependingonbrandsuitability.Ultimately,adverificationorganizationsshouldprovideconsistentanddiscretereportingtousersinordertoenablecustomizedtargetingandavoidanceandtoallowuserstostipulatewhichlevelsmeettheneedsofaparticularcampaignorbrand.Withtheissuanceofthisguidance,totheextentapplicable,MRC’saccreditationconsiderationsofContextandBrandSafetyadverificationfunctionswillbeappliedatthediscretedomain,siteorpage(property)levelandcontentlevelforbothdisplayandvideoforbothmeasurementand

reportinggranularity.Domain,siteorpage(andevenmobileapplication)leveladverificationfunctionalityandreportingshouldcontinuetofollowtheguidanceintheoriginal2012IAB/MRCAdVerificationGuidelines,butcontentleveladverificationfunctionalityandreportingshouldapplythoseguidelinesaswellastheguidancewithinthisSupplement.Further,itisneitherexpectednorrequiredthatadverificationorganizationsdevelopContextandBrandSafetycapabilitiesinallareasdiscussedinthisSupplementinordertoachieveaccreditation.However,adverificationorganizationsshouldclearlydisclosespecificcapabilitiesandlimitationsandMRC’saccreditationconsiderationsanddecisionsrelatedtoContextandBrandSafetyadverificationfunctionswillbemadewithrespecttospecificcapabilities.Itispermissibleforadverificationorganizationswithcontentmeasurementgranularitytoreportavoidanceandverificationatthepropertylevelwithproperdisclosure.SuchpropertylevelreportingwithcontentlevelmeasurementgranularitywillbedistinguishedbyMRCfrompropertylevelreportingwithoutdiscretecorrespondingcontentmeasurement.Finally,MRCmayrequiresomeoverallminimumlevelofcapabilityorfunctionalityinordertoconsiderextendingaccreditationtoadverificationorganizationsforContextandBrandSafetyaccreditationatthecontentlevel.ThefollowingaretheanticipatedMRCBrandSafetyandContextaccreditationdistinctions:

MRCBrandSafetyandContextAccreditationDistinctionsMeasurement/ReportingGranularityLevel Property/Property Content/Property Content/Content

1.1 AbouttheDevelopmentofthisSupplementTheguidancecontainedinthisSupplementoriginatedfromaprojectledbytheMediaRatingCouncil(MRC)andsponsoredbytheAmericanAssociationofAdvertisingAgencies(4A’s),theAssociationofNationalAdvertisers(ANA)andtheInteractiveAdvertisingBureau(IABU.S.).Thisguidancewasdevelopedwiththeparticipationofacoreadvisorygroupofbuyer-sideorganizations,Industryassociations,largedigitalenterprisesandverificationvendors,aswellasalargegroupofDigitalmediacontentproviders,advertisingagencies,advertisers,vendors/consultants,measurementorganizationsandotherinterestedorganizations.Thisguidancewasalsoreviewedandapprovedbymajorbuyer-sidetradeorganizations(4As,ANA)andtheirconstituentsandthereafterprovidedtothepublicthroughaformalperiodofpubliccommentpriortoadoption.ThefinalguidanceispublishedandavailableontheMRCsiteandwillbere-assessedperiodicallytoensureitremainsapplicableovertime.

2 ContentLevelGranularityThird-partyadverificationfunctionshavetraditionallybeenfocusedondomain,site,pageorapplication(including“channels”withindomains)levelinformation(i.e.,determiningthe

safetyorclassificationofapagebasedlargelyontextanalysisofthecontent)asawhole.Forpurposesofthisdocument,thiswillbereferredtoaspropertylevel.Thisfocuswasnecessarytoenableadservingtostandardpages;however,thecurrentenvironmentdictatesContextandBrandSafetyguidancebeputinplacethataccountsforadservingwithincontentaswellastopagesormobileapplicationswithdynamiccontent(contentthatisfrequentlyaddedorchangedincludingbyusersoutsidethecontrolofthepublisher)andchannelswherebypropertylevelclassificationsmaynotcompletelyordirectlycorrelatewithspecificpiecesofcontentpresent.Suchcontentlevelmeasurementdepthshouldextendbeyondkeywordanalysisandincludeconsiderationofimages,video,textandaudiocontent.Adverificationorganizations(third-partymeasurers,platformsorpublishers)shoulddistinguishContextandBrandSafetyfunctionalitybetweenpropertyandcontentlevelgranularityordepthofmeasurementandreporting.Ifitisexpectedthataspecificdomain/siteorgroupingofpages/applicationswillexhibitthesametaxonomicattributesasmateriallyallofthecontentwithinthemonanongoingbasisasdemonstratedthroughperiodicanalysisandempiricalsupport,ContextandBrandSafetyclassificationsmaybeconsistentlyappliedacrossallcontentwithinthegrouping.However,totheextentthenatureofthecontent(displayorvideo)withinthepropertycouldmateriallydifferfromitsspecificpropertylevelclassification,ContextandBrandsafetydecisionsshouldalsobemadeatthediscretecontentlevel.However,thisshouldbeinadditiontocontinuingtoprovideproperty-levelclassifications.Contentgranularityisparticularlyimportantwhencontentmaybeconsidered“unsafe”orcategorizedinaparticularavoidancecategorywherethegeneralpropertylevelclassificationisotherwiseconsideredsafeoracceptable.However,propertiesthatareconsideredunsafeorareclassifiedinaspecificavoidancecategoryshouldcontinuetobeclassifiedinthismannerevenifsafeoracceptablecontentappearsonthem.ThisincludesdynamicpublishercuratedcontentaswellasUGConSocialMediaPlatforms.Itispermissibleforadverificationorganizationswithcontentmeasurementgranularitytoreportavoidanceandverificationatthepropertylevelwithproperdisclosure.SuchpropertylevelreportingwithcontentlevelmeasurementgranularitywillbedistinguishedbyMRCfrompropertylevelreportingwithoutdiscretecorrespondingcontentmeasurement.Further,itispermissibleforadverificationorganizationstoclassifycontentorpropertiesbasedonURLkeywordswithoutcontentlevelmeasurement,howeverthisshouldbeclearlydisclosedanddoesnotrepresentcontentlevelmeasurementgranularityorreporting.Withtheissuanceofthisguidance,totheextentapplicable,MRC’saccreditationconsiderationsofContextandBrandSafetyadverificationfunctionswillbeappliedatthepropertyandcontentlevelforbothdisplayandvideo.Propertyleveladverificationfunctionalityshouldcontinuetofollowtheguidanceintheoriginal2012IAB/MRCAdVerificationGuidelines,butcontentleveladverificationfunctionalityshouldapplythoseguidelinesaswellastheguidancewithinthisSupplement.

WhiletheadverificationtoolsandfunctionalityusedforeachrespectivelevelofContextandBrandSafetymaybesimilar,theywillneedtobeapplieddifferentiallyinconjunctionwithadditionaltoolsdiscussedthroughoutthisSupplementinordertobeeffectiveforcontentlevelgranularity.Adverificationorganizationsshouldactivelydisclosecapabilitiesandlimitationsofmeasurementrelatedtopropertyvs.contentlevelgranularitytousersalongwithguidanceforproperuseofmeasurementoutputconsideringanymateriallimitationsofmeasurement.Further,itisneitherexpectednorrequiredthatadverificationorganizationsdevelopContextandBrandSafetycapabilitiesinallareasdiscussedinthisSupplementinordertoachieveaccreditation.

3 SocialMediaandUGCGeneral ThecurrentdigitaladvertisingenvironmentdictatesContextandBrandSafetyguidancealsobeputinplacefordynamicUserGeneratedContent(UGC)onSocialMediaPlatformsincludingnewsfeedenvironments.Timingandscalepresentchallengesinlargedigitalenterprises,especiallyforvideo,andtheneedstoassessUGCandpostthatcontenttimelycreateadditionaldiligencechallenges.Thevolumeofcontentlikelynecessitatesautomation(includingMachineLearning),whichcanbesubjecttoerror,misinterpretationandambiguity.Arobustsetofrisk-basedcriteriaisnecessarytodrivefocusedHumanIntervention.ThepresenceofUGCfurtherpresentsnumerouschallengesforContextandBrandSafetymeasurementincludingreducedcontrolofcontentwhencomparedtopublisher-curatedcontent.TheintroductionofcommentssuchasinaThreadedMessagemaypresentadditionaldatapointstoanalyzeUGC,butmayalsochangetheContextandBrandSafetyclassificationoftheThreadedMessagewhenconsideredcollectively.Thevolumeanddynamicnatureofsuchcontentpresentsscalabilityissuesformeasurement.TheabilitytoscalemeasurementatagranularlevelandtoenforcedatafreshnessrulesiscriticaltoeffectivemeasurementofcontentforpurposesofContextandBrandSafety.AdverificationorganizationsshouldincludeconsiderationofUGCandtheuniquenatureofplatformspecificaspectsofUGCindatacollectionmethodologiesandensuresystemsarecomprehensiveenoughtohandlescaleandperiodicrefreshing.Seefurtherguidanceonscalabilitylaterinthissection.Additionally,thecategorizationofthecontentitselfmaydifferfromtheuseractivityassociatedtoitinaThreadedMessageandtheoccurrenceofcertainkeywordsincommentsmayassistadverificationorganizationswithcontentclassification.WhilecommentsshouldbeconsideredandincludedincontentlevelContextandBrandSafetyfunctionality,adverificationorganizationsshouldtakecaretoappropriatelyconsidertheweightcommentscarryonclassificationsaswellasthefrequencyofcertainkeywordsthatmaybeclassifieddifferentlythanthecontentitself.ThespecificconsiderationandinclusionofusercommentsincontentlevelContextandBrandSafetydeterminationsshouldbeempiricallysupportedanddisclosed,butrepresentsanimportantsignalthatshouldbeconsidered.

Adverificationorganizationsmayutilizeexternalthirdpartieswithadditionalexpertiseincontentclassification(suchasprofessionaleditorialpersonnelandservicesandacademicresources)tofurthermitigatetheriskthatgeneralpersonnelorsurfacelevelreviewmaynotproperlyidentifyorcategorizecontent.SuchinvolvementofexpertexternalthirdpartiesisencouragedandshouldbeleveragedtocalibrateMachineLearningparametersaswellastofocusHumanInterventionasdiscussedbelow.Useofthirdpartiesshouldbedisclosed(althoughthespecificthirdpartiesneednotbedisclosed)andincorporatedintoauditorindependentvalidationofadverificationfunctionality.TheabilityofthirdpartyvendorstoaccuratelymeasureactivityoncertainplatformsmaybelimitedincertainsituationswithoutdirecttaggingorSoftwareDevelopmentKit(SDK)integrationinmobileapplications.Asaresult,platformsandpublishersarestronglyencouragedtoeitherallowdirectthirdpartymeasurementatacontentlevel(inclusiveofMetadatadiscussedbelow),ortoactivelyprovidevalidatedfirst-partydataatagranularleveltoenableindependentContextandBrandSafetymeasurement,oneofwhichwillberequiredforcontentlevelaccreditationofthird-partyadverificationsolutions.Further,thecollectionandtransmissionofdataenablingcontentlevelContextandBrandSafetydeterminationsisstronglyencouragedtobesubjectedtoauditandindependentvalidation.TotheextentthatathirdpartyvendorisnotabletodirectlymeasurecertainaspectsofcontentwithinapropertyforContextandBrandSafety,thevendormaylistthepropertyorportionsofthepropertyasuncategorizedorunknownwithcleardisclosureofcapabilitiesorlimitationswithrespecttospecificpropertyorcontentlevelgranularitytoenableavoidanceifausersochooses.Further,inthesesituations,propertiesthatallowUGCmaybegenericallyclassifiedassuch(andbedistinguishedasunknownwithregardtoBrandSafety)toenableausertochoosewhetherornottoplaceadsintheseenvironmentsincaseswherecontentleveldecisionscannotbemade.However,adverificationorganizationswillnotbeconsideredtooffercontentlevelContextandBrandSafetygranularityforpropertiesthatarelabeledgenericallyoruncategorizedwherethesemeasurementlimitationsexist.Incertainpre-bidsituations,DemandSidePlatforms(DSPs)mayhaveamaterialimpactonContextandBrandSafetydataanddeterminations.Inthesecases,theguidancerelatedtodatatransparency,qualityandvalidationcontainedthroughoutthissectionshouldbeappliedtoDSPsandconsideredbyadverificationorganizationsutilizingDSPdata.

3.1 DataFreshnessandQualityAsdiscussedintheAdVerificationGuidelines,aspagesevolveinaveryfastanddynamicmanner,freshdataisabsolutelynecessaryforaccurateadverification.Therefore,thetimingoftheverificationserviceandunderlyingdataassumptionsshouldbedisclosedandadverificationservicesshouldhavestateddatarefreshpolicies.Atimestamporactiveandcleardisclosuresofdatalifeandcollectionpoliciesisrecommendedtoinformusersabouttheageoftheservice’smostrecentassessment.

GiventhedynamicnatureofcontentonSocialMediaPlatforms,UGCandsurroundinguseractivity,itisessentialthatthefrequencyofdatacollectionandrefreshpolicies(includingmaximumdatalifeor“timetolive”policies)employedbyanadverificationorganizationforcontentlevelclassificationsareadaptedtothespecificplatformbeingmeasured(consideringscale,useractivityandpresenceofUGCaswellaspublisherpoliciesandcontrols)andthatthesepoliciesarebasedonempiricalsupportthatisperiodicallyanalyzed.Thesepoliciesmayalsobedynamictoaccountforcontent,suchasnewscontent,whichmayinitiallybedynamicandthenmorestaticovertime.Further,adverificationorganizationsareencouragedtoestablishminimumreportingthresholds(arequiredminimumnumberofdatapointsorobservationsbeforereportingContextandBrandSafetydeterminations),collectionperiodsorotherbaselineguardrailsbeforemakingContextandBrandSafetydeterminationsforspecificcontent.Thismayconsistofaminimumsetofparametersordatafieldsfordeterminationsbasedonstaticdataoraminimumnumberofobservationsifbasedindynamicdata.Minimumbaselineguardrailsshouldbebasedonintendedminimumstatisticalreliabilitysuchasconfidenceintervalsormeaningfuldeviationsindataandmayvarydependingontolerablerisk(asstipulatedbyusersorasdefinedforaparticularchannelorcategory).Forexample,premiumchannelsdiscussedbelowmaycarryahigherlevelofperceivedsafetyandnecessitatehigherreliabilityandminimumreportingthresholdsduetolowerexpectedadvertiserrisktolerance.Contentnotmeetingbaselineguardrailsshouldbeclassifiedasunknownornotyetclassifiedandbuyersshouldhavetheabilitytopreventadservingtounknownorunclassifiedcontent.Collectionspoliciesandfrequenciesaswellasbaselineguardrailsemployedshouldbefullydisclosedtousers.

3.2 CurationofUGCAsdiscussedabove,UGCpresentsnumerouschallengesforcontextualandBrandSafetymeasurementincludingreducedcontrolofcontentwhencomparedtopublishercuratedcontent,whichmayleadtodifferencesbetweenpage/applicationandcontentclassifications.InordertomitigatesomeoftherisksassociatedwithUGC,publishersorplatformsmaycurateUGCbyselectingandvettingspecificpiecesofcontentandgroupingthemintocategories,pagesorchannelswithincommonsubjectmatter,ContextandevenBrandSafetyclassifications(suchasforchildrenorcertainagegroups).Further,suchcurationmightbebasedonpopularityoruseractivitynotnecessarilycorrelatedtoBrandSafety,suchas“premium”pagesorchannelsreservedforcontentcontributorsanduserswiththegreatestnumberoffollowers,subscribers,views,likesorotheractivity.Whilepublishersandplatformsmayconductcurationprimarilyforuserexperience,theyarealsoencouragedtoconsiderdoingsoinordertoassistbuyersandthirdpartymeasurersinmakingContextandBrandSafetydeterminationsandtoexposesuchcurationprocessestoauditingandindependentvalidation.However,whileadverificationorganizationsmayconsider

andleveragethiscurationwhenmeasuringContextandBrandSafety,itshouldnotberelieduponunlessindependentlyauditedandverified.GiventhedynamicnatureofUGCanduseractivityinaThreadedMessage,evencuratedcontentrequiresdiscreteandrobustmeasurementforeffectiveContextandBrandSafetydeterminations.Further,premiumpagesorchannelscuratedbasedonpopularityoruseractivityalonemaynotnecessarilyrendercontentwithinthemBrandSafeandlikelyrequireenhancedmeasurementfocus,morerobusthumanreviewandperiodicmonitoringduetothefactthatthiscontentmaybemorehighlymonetizedandtrafficked.Whileuseractivitysuchasnumberoffollowers,subscribers,viewsandlikescanbeusedasameanstocontrolmonetizationitshouldnotbesolelyrelieduponforContextorBrandSafetydeterminations.

3.3 ScalabilityAsdiscussedabove,thevolumeanddynamicnatureofcontentonSocialMediaPlatformsandotherlargedigitalenterprisespresentsscalabilityissuesformeasurement.TheabilitytoscalemeasurementatagranularlevelandtoenforcedatafreshnessrulesiscriticaltoeffectivemeasurementofcontentforpurposesofContextandBrandSafety.Adverificationorganizationsshouldensuresystemsarecomprehensiveenoughtohandlescaleandperiodicrefreshing.IncompleteorcorruptdatacanleadtoinaccurateorinsufficientContextandBrandSafetydeterminations.Asaresult,inadditiontouseraccess,programchangeanddisasterrecovery/businesscontinuitycontrolsthatarerequiredaspartofMRCaccreditationaudits,adverificationorganizationsshouldalsoemployrobustloadbalancingaswellascapacityanduptimemonitoringprocedurestoensureadequatesystemresourcesareavailablefordatacollectionandbackendprocessingoflargedatavolumes.Further,adverificationorganizationsareencouragedtoutilizebatchprocessingandtoconductperiodicdatacorruptionandlatencycheckstoensuredatacollectioniscompleteandtoidentify,investigateandlimitdataloss.Suchcontrolsshouldbeappliedtosystemsthatinclude,butarenotlimitedto,MachineLearningfunctionalityaswellasingestionandprocessingofMetadata(eachisdiscussedingreaterdetailinthisSupplement).

3.4 MachineLearningThescaleandarrayofdatafieldsinvolvedincontentlevelContextandBrandSafetyfunctionalitylikelynecessitatessomeformofautomationorMachineLearningutilizedbyadverificationorganizationswherebymodelsoralgorithmsareusedtoautomaticallyingest,analyzeandclassifycontentforpurposesofContextandBrandSafety.MachineLearningconsistsofutilizingdatasetsincludingvisualandaudiodatapoints(suchasinvisualandaudiallearning)totrainandevaluatemodelsoralgorithmssuchthattheycanpredictoutcomesonanautomatedbasis.Itiscriticalthatrigorousdataqualityandanalysisproceduresareappliedtotheprocessestoselecttrainingdata,selectparametersusedinthemodel,preparedata,selectthemodel,trainandevaluatethemodelaswellastoperiodicallytuneit.

Inaddition,theMRCInvalidTrafficAddendumestablishesrequirementsfordetectionandfiltrationofinvalidtraffic(IVT)andadditionalIVTguidancepromulgatedbytheMRCestablishesbestpracticesforpre-bidapproachestoIVT(whicharelikelyhighlyrelevantinadverificationfunctionality).SuchfiltrationshouldbeappliedtodatasetsusedforMachineLearningtotheextentapplicabletoensureIVTdoesnotintroducebiasesintheclassificationdecisionsorotherwiseobfuscatedatatrendsthatmaysignalaneedforfurtheranalysissuchasuserviewingandskippingbehaviorthatmaydirectfurtheranalysisofaspecificsegmentoflong-formvideothatmaybedilutedbythepresenceofinvalidtrafficwithnosuchbehavior.Further,thepresenceandvolumeofIVTwithinapropertyorassociatedwithaparticularpieceofcontentmaybeasignalthatinandofitselfassistsinContextandBrandSafetydeterminationsoratleastallowsanorganizationtofurtherfocusresources.TheimpactofIVTonContextandBrandSafetydeterminationsshouldbeconsideredwhendesigningMachineLearningfunctionality.WhileIVTshouldbefilteredfromadvertisingmeasurement,thepresence(orlackthereof)ofIVTmaynotdirectlyhaveabearingontheContextandBrandSafetyclassificationofaparticularpieceofcontent,althoughadverificationorganizationsmayconsideralertinguserstopropertieswithhighlevelsofIVTforpotentialavoidance.TheabilityofMachineLearningtoaccuratelypredictoutcomesiscorrelatedtothesizeandqualityofthedataunderlyingit.AdverificationorganizationsshouldestablishminimumdatasamplesizesandqualitythresholdswhenselectingtrainingandevaluationdatasetsforMachineLearning.Totheextentreducedperformanceoraccuracyisexpectedincertaindataconditions(suchasinsmallersamplesizes,shortercollectionperiods,missingorlowerqualitydata,etc.),thisshouldbeactivelydisclosedtousersviaestimatesoferrorusingstatisticalmethodsorobservederror.Further,thedataselectedandtheparametersorfieldsusedshouldberelevanttotheuseofthemodel(empiricalsupportshouldexistthatestablishesarelationshipbetweendataorparametersusedandContextorBrandSafetydeterminations).Whenpreparingtrainingandevaluationdata,whichshouldconsistofdistinctandmutuallyexclusivedatasets,robustdataqualityproceduresshouldbeappliedtoclean,normalizeanddeduplicatedataaswellastoaccountfororadjustdataimbalancesorbiases.Biasesintrainingandevaluationdatashouldbereducedtotheextentpossibleanddisclosedwherematerial.Additionally,themodeloralgorithmselectedforspecificMachineLearningfunctionalitiesshouldbeappropriatefortheintendeduseandperiodicallyupdatedorrefreshed.UseofMachineLearningmodelsshouldbelogicalanddefensiblebasedonempiricalsupportthatisdocumentedandmadeavailableforaudit.Suchsupportshouldbeperiodicallyvalidatedandupdated.Trainingandevaluationofthemodelwilllikelyresultinweightingorbiasadjustmentaswellasparametertuning,andthisshouldalsooccuronaperiodicbasis.WhileMachineLearningwillhelpmitigatecertainchallengesdiscussedthroughoutthisSupplementrelatedtoscalabilityanddynamiccontent,itshouldbedeployedinconjunctionwithfocusedHumanIntervention.WeightsandbiasadjustmentsresultingfromtheperiodictrainingandevaluationofMachineLearningmodelsshouldbeusedtofocussuchHuman

Intervention.Inotherwords,knownbiasesorweaknessesinthemodelorforspecificdataconditionsshouldinformproceduresthatincludemanualhumanreviewofcontentforContextandBrandSafetyclassifications.AdditionalguidanceforHumanInterventionisdiscussedlaterinthisSupplement.Machinelearningmethodologyandproceduresshouldbeactivelydisclosedtousersatanon-technicallevel,includingrelevantdatasetsizes,modelsusedanddatasourceswhileensuringpropersafeguardsagainstreverseengineeringofBrandSafetytechniquesemployed.Thelevelofrelianceonmachinelearningversushumaninterventionormanualreviewshouldbegenerallydisclosed.

3.5 HumanInterventionAsdiscussedabove,MachineLearningshouldbedeployedinconjunctionwithfocusedHumanInterventiondefinedforpurposesofthisSupplementasmanualreviewofcontentbyadverificationorganizationpersonnelforthepurposeofContextandBrandSafetyclassifications.WeightsandbiasadjustmentsresultingfromtheperiodictrainingandevaluationofMachineLearningmodelsshouldbeusedtofocussuchHumanIntervention.EvenwhereMachineLearningisnotutilized,arobustsetofrisk-basedcriteriaisnecessarytodrivefocusedHumanIntervention.Suchrisk-basedcriteriashouldincludeconsiderationsofdataconditionsorcontenttypesthataremoredifficulttomeasureorcategorize,thepresenceofmonetizedUGCanddynamiccontent,andcontentwithhighertrafficincludingpremiumpagesorchannelscuratedbasedonpopularity.ThepresenceandlevelsofIVTshouldalsobeconsideredwhendeterminingthefocusofHumanIntervention.AsHumanInterventioninvolvesmanualreviewofcontent,considerationshouldbegiventotimeconstraintsandscalability.Inconjunctionwithrisk-basedconsiderations,HumanInterventionpoliciesshouldbedesignedwithcontentvolumeandtheneedfortimelyreviewandclassificationinmindinordertoensurestaffinglevelsareadequatetomeetworkloadneedsbasedonreportingtimingpoliciesandvolume.ThepersonnelperformingHumanInterventionshouldbeadequatelytrainedandsupervised.TheresultsofHumanInterventionshouldbeperiodicallyreviewedandformallydocumented.Allpersonnel(includingsupervisors)shouldbefurnishedwithdetailedinstructionsandmanualscoveringallstepsoftheirwork.PersonnelperformingHumanInterventionshouldbeperiodicallyassessedforperformance.Lowerperformingpersonnelshouldbere-trainedandtheirworkinproductionenvironmentsshouldbelimited.TheresultsofHumanInterventionshouldbeusedtoperiodicallyvalidatetheresultsofMachineLearningandtoupdateevaluationdatasets.ItisexpectedthatHumanInterventionbeusedasanongoingandcontinuousqualitycontrol,butthatresultsareusedtoupdateMachineLearningasfrequentlyasisfeasibleandatleastseveraltimesannually.

3.6 MonetizationControlsPublishersorSocialMediaplatformsmayapplymonetizationcontrols,orthresholdsabovewhichcontentwillbemonetized(andbelowwhichitwillnotbe).Thesethresholdscanbebasedontheageorrecencyofcontentandtheactivitysurroundingitsuchasinteractions,views,subscribersorviewtime.SuchcontrolsmayhelpmitigatetheriskofincompleteorinaccurateContextorBrandSafetyclassificationsinthattheyextendthetimebeforewhichcontentismonetizedtoallowmorethoroughreviewandalargeraccumulationofdatatoanalyze.Publishersandplatformsareencouragedtoutilizesuchcontrolsandtodisclosethemtousers.Further,likeHumanInterventiondiscussedabove,thesemonetizationcontrolsshouldbedrivenbyarobustsetofrisk-basedcriteria.Additionally,publishers,adnetworks,exchangesorSocialMediaPlatformsshouldconsiderestablishingpoliciestolimitorpreventmonetizationofcontentforsourcesthathavebeenfoundtoviolatecontentpolicies,specificcontentthathasbeendeterminedtobeinviolationofcontrolsorotherBrandSafetycontrolsandthesepoliciesshouldbeappliedataplatformlevel.Thesepoliciesshouldbeclearlydefinedanddisclosedtousersandsourcesthatcancontributecontent.InaccordancewiththeIAB/MRCAdVerificationGuidelines,adverificationprocessesshouldbetransparenttocustomersandsellerorganizations,inthatbothknowthegeneralcriteriabeingusedforevaluationaswellasanycontentorsourcesofcontentsuchasusersorpublishersthatareexcluded(detailsofspecificproprietarymethodsmaybeomitted).ThepresenceandlevelsofIVTshouldalsobeconsideredwhendeterminingwhichparameterstouseformonetizationcontrolsandshouldbeutilizedonapost-filtrationbasis.Theabilityforaspecificparametertobemanipulatedthroughinvalidtrafficshoulddecreaserelianceonitforpurposesofmonetizationcontrols.Likecurationofcontentdiscussedabove,publishersandplatformsareencouragedtoexposemonetizationcontrolstoauditingandindependentvalidation.Again,whileadverificationorganizationsmayconsiderandleveragemonetizationcontrolswhenmeasuringContextandBrandSafety,theyshouldnotberelieduponunlessindependentlyauditedandverified.Finally,publishers,platformsandadverificationorganizationsareencouragedtoenablebuyerstocustomizemonetizationcontrolsbasedoncontextualorBrandSafetyneeds.EnhancedbuyertoolsarediscussedlaterinthisSupplement.Whileuseractivitysuchasnumberoffollowers,subscribers,viewsandlikescanbeusedasameanstocontrolmonetization,itshouldnotbesolelyrelieduponforContextorBrandSafetydeterminations.

3.7 TaxonomyandCategorizationTheIABNetworkandExchanges“ContextualTaxonomy”(nowtheIABTechLabContenttaxonomy)isincorporatedintotheAdVerificationGuidelinesbyreferenceasalistingofappropriatecontentcategoriesforsites(althoughrecentupdatestothistaxonomyhavedeprecatedsomepredecessoravoidancecategories).Additionally,theIAB/MRCAdVerification

Guidelinesincludealistingofgeneraltypesofpotentialavoidancecategoriesanditisexpectedthatadverificationorganizationsmaymaintainmoredetailedsub-categoriesforeachofthesepotentialavoidancecategories,whichwillhelpfurtherrefineanddifferentiatetheirservice.WhileadverificationorganizationsareencouragedtousecommonIndustrysourcesforgenreclassificationandsegmentation,theymayalsouseinternallydevelopedorproprietarysourcesifempiricallysupportedwithauditableevidencewithcleardisclosure.Thesourceandtaxonomyusedingenreclassification(includingcustomproprietarysources)forpurposesofContextandBrandSafetyclassificationsshouldbedisclosedtousersandperiodicallyupdated.Suchdisclosuresshouldconsiderprotectionofintellectualpropertyandtheriskofreverseengineeringthatcouldpotentiallyresult.Further,dynamicUGConSocialMediaPlatformsmayrequiregranularanddiscreteavoidancecategoriesandpresentsfurtherchallengesforaccurateclassification,butthenatureofthiscontentmayalsointroducesubjectivityregardingtheclassificationofaparticularpieceofcontent.Forexample,videocontentmaycontainsegmentswithdifferingcategorizationsandadverificationorganizationsareencouragedtoprovidegranularsegmentcategorizationdatainadditiontotop-levelclassificationswherethismayoccur,suchasinlong-formdigitalvideo(especiallyforepisodicandrepurposedTVcontentwhereexistingcategorizationpracticesmayalreadyexist).ThisSupplementdoesnotaimtoproscribespecifictaxonomiesorcategoriesbeyondthosereferencedabove,butinsteadtohighlighttheuniquecategorizationchallengesUGConSocialMediaPlatformspresents,andtorequireadverificationorganizationstodisclosethemethodologyanddecision-makinghierarchyunderlyingcategorizationstousers.Additionally,totheextentthatcustomcriteria,partialormulticategorizationforaspecificpieceofcontent,ordegreesofcategorization(suchascontentratingsorscores)areused,theyshouldalsobeactivelydisclosedtousersaswellasempiricallysupportedandperiodicallyupdated.MRCstronglyencouragesandsupportsmechanismsandeffortstopromoteconsistentBrandSafetydefinitionsandminimumbaselinessuchasthatproposedbythe4A’sAdvertisingProtectionBureau(APB)aswellasotherbuyerorganizations.ThisSupplementrecommendsestablishingaminimumlevelofcontenttobeestablishedthroughindustrygroupsthatexcludescertainbaselinecategories.Thisminimumcanbeofferedasacollectivereportingorblockinggroupconsideredunsafeorineligibleformonetization(“thefloor”)eitherasadefaultcontrolforplatformmonetizationoraselectedbyadvertisers.ThisfloorshouldbebasedonexclusionofcertaincategoriesrootedintheIndustry’s“dirtydozen”categorylist,whichconsistsofthefollowingbroadcategories:

• Adult• Arms• Crime• DeathorInjury

• OnlinePiracy• HateSpeech• MilitaryConflict• Obscenity• IllegalDrugs• SpamorHarmfulContent• Terrorism• Tobacco

However,thesecategorieslikelyrequirefurtherconsiderationanddefinitionandthecategorizationofapieceofcontent(forexample,whatconstitutesanobscenity)maydifferfromthepointofviewofdifferentadverificationusers.Itislikelythatcertainoftheabovearelesssubjectiveandcanbeagreedtobepartofaconsistentexclusioncategorytoestablishthefloor.TheestablishmentbyanIndustrygroupofafloor,suchasisdiscussedabove,isencouraged.Theexpectationisthatplatformsandpublisherswillenactcontrolstominimizethepresenceofcontentinthesecategories.Wherecontentinthesecategoriesispresentadvertisersmaychoosetoforgotheagreeduponfloorandallowadvertisingtooneoralloftheabovecategories.MRCPublicCommentVersionAuthor’sNote:InparalleltotheeffortstopublishthisSupplement,MRCrecommendstheestablishmentofanIndustryworkinggroupsuchasthatproposedbythe4A’sAdvertisingProtectionBureau(APB),includingacademicresourcestoreviewexistingtaxonomiesanddeterminehowconsistencycanbecreatedforbasiczero-tolerancedefinitions(thefloor).Thisshouldincludereconcilingdefinitionsofcommoncategorydifferencesbetweenvendors,whileallowingforcustomsettingsthatvendorsapplytoaddressspecificclientsBrandSuitabilityneeds.Asanillustrativeexampleonly,thefollowingcategoriesanddefinitionsmightbeconsideredforanysuchfloorordefaultcategories:• SexuallyExplicitAdultContent:Depictionoftheactionorfactofsexualacts,nudityand

sexuallygraphicphotosorvideos• Crimes:Factofanactionoromissionthatconstitutesanoffensethatmaybeprosecutedby

authoritiesandispunishablebylaw(mayvarybasedongeographyofjurisdiction)• Death:Factofapersondyingorbeingkilled• HateSpeech:Speechorcontentthatattacksapersonorgrouponthebasisofattributes

suchasrace,religion,ethnicorigin,nationalorigin,gender,disability,sexualorientationorgenderidentity

• IllegalDrugs:Factofuseofdrugswhichhavelegallimitationsontheirownershiporuse(mayvarybasedongeographyofjurisdiction)

• Terrorism:FactofuseofunlawfulviolenceandintimidationinthepursuitofpoliticalaimsUltimately,categoriesanddefinitionsincludedinanyfloorappliedtoBrandSafetycontrolsshouldbesubjecttowiderindustrydiscussionandsourcedthroughorganizationssuchasthe4A’s.MRCfurtherrecommendsandsupportsIndustryeffortstostandardizeandmodernizetaxonomiesandcategoriesacrossplatformsconsideringUGCandcontentgranularity,andweintendtoparticipateinsuchefforts.

4 AdjacencyForthepurposeofthisSupplement,AdjacencyisdefinedasthedegreeofphysicaldistanceinwhichadsareplacedinrelationtospecificcontentthatisclassifiedforContextandBrandSafetypurposes.Asdiscussedabove,historicallyBrandSafetyandtargetinghavebeenaddressedatapropertylevelwithContextclassificationandadalertingorblockingbasedonavoidanceortargetcategories.However,thenatureofSocialMediaPlatformsandvariousnewsfeedenvironmentsrequiremorediscreteproximitymeasurementforbothtargetingandavoidanceincludingadjacencyinnewsfeed,continuousscrollorwipe(verticalorhorizontal)orcontinuousplayenvironments.WhilemeasurementofAdjacencyisnotrequired,itisencouragedandanaccreditableaspectofcontentlevelContextandBrandSafetyfunctionality.Thefollowingguidanceshouldbeappliedtoadverificationorganizationselectingtoofferadjacencymeasurement.Adjacencyandmeasurementofitwilldifferbetweenplatforms,pagesandmobileapplicationsaswillauser’sdeterminationofwhetheraspecificpieceofcontentisnearorfarfromanadplacement.Tothatend,adverificationorganizationsshouldestablishmeasurementunitsindeterminingadjacencyattheplatform,pageormobileapplicationlevel,whereapplicable.Forexample,themeasurementunitwithinaverticalorhorizontalnewsfeedenvironmentcouldbeadiscretepane,tile,screenorotherunit.Themeasurementunitshouldreflectthemeaningfulsegmentationofcontentwithinaplatform,pageormobileapplicationandshouldbeclearlydisclosedaspartofadjacencyreporting,anddocumentedandsupported.Adverificationorganizationsarealsoencouragedtoconsidertheintersectionoftimeandadjacencyviatemporalthresholdsappliedtoadjacency.Theimpactofadjacentcontentmaydiminishduringlongerusersessionssuchasinsituationswhenusersleavecontentandreturntoitafterthepassageoftime.Adjacencyshouldbemeasuredandreportedonthebasisofmeasurementunitdistanceandshouldaccountforscrollingandswipingcapabilitiesinmobilenewsfeedenvironments.Adjacencycouldbereportedintermsofabsolutevalueofmeasurementunits(i.e.,numberofunitsplacementproceeds/isaboveorfollows/isbelowspecificcontentbeingmeasured).Thebasisforreportingshouldbeclearlydisclosed.Placementsthatarezeromeasurementunitsfromspecificcontentbeingmeasuredorthatareabletobesimultaneouslyviewable(50%ofpixelsonscreenconsistentwithMRCViewabilityGuidelines)withspecificcontentbeingmeasuredshouldbeconsidereddirectlyadjacent.Otherwise,adjacencyrangesorscoresmaybereportedandshouldbeclearlydefined.

Invideoplaylistenvironments,adjacencyshouldbemeasuredintermsofthenumberofvideounitsthatplaybeforeandafterthespecificcontentbeingmeasuredincludingcontentthatautomaticallybeginsplayingwithoutadditionaluserinteraction.Considerationshouldalsobegiventothepresenceandcategorizationofthumbnailimagesaccompanyingorrelatedtovideocontent,especiallywheretheseimagesmaybemisleadingordifferfromthenatureoftheunderlyingvideocontent.AsdiscussedearlierinthisSupplement,publishersorSocialMediaplatformsmayapplymonetizationcontrolsandthisshouldincludeadjacencyconsiderations(aminimumdistanceornumberofmeasurementunitsbelowwhichadswillnotbeplaced).Suchminimumadjacencyrulesmayvarybycontent.Again,publishersandplatformsareencouragedtoutilizesuchcontrolsandtodisclosethemtousers,butwhileadverificationorganizationsmayconsiderandleveragemonetizationcontrolswhenmeasuringContextandBrandSafety,theyshouldnotberelieduponunlessindependentlyauditedandverified.Thirdpartyadverificationvendorsmayhavetorelyonsignalsrelatedtoadjacency(suchasunits,scoresofplacementsorsession-levelcontentinformation)fromplatformsorpublisherswherethethird-partyisrestrictedfromdirectlymeasuringadjacencyeitherduetomeasurementpoliciesortechnicalchallenges.Further,inthesesituations,onlytheadserver,oftentimestheplatformitself,canallowblocking,coveringorotherwiseavoidancebasedonadjacency.Asaresult,platformsandpublishersarestronglyencouragedtoeitherallowdirectthirdpartymeasurementatacontentlevelinclusiveofadjacencysignals,ortoactivelyprovidevalidatedfirst-partydataatagranularleveltoenableindependentContextandBrandSafetymeasurementalertingandreporting,oneofwhichwillberequiredforcontentleveladjacencyaccreditationofthird-partyadverificationsolutions.Further,thecollectionandtransmissionofdataenablingadjacencydeterminationsisstronglyencouragedtobesubjectedtoauditandindependentvalidation.Publishers,platformsandadverificationorganizationsareencouragedtoenablebuyerstocustomizeadjacencybasedoncontextualorBrandSafetyneeds.EnhancedbuyertoolsarediscussedlaterinthisSupplement.

5 MetadataVariousadverificationtechniquesandprocessesdiscussedthroughoutthisSupplementmayutilizepublisherorplatformMetadata,ordatathatprovidesinformationaboutthemakeupofadomain,site,pageorapplicationincludingspecificcontentdetails.Metadatatypicallyincludesdescriptivedatasuchasageneraldescription,authorandkeywords,structuraldatathatincludespageandcontentorganization,andadministrativedatasuchaswhenafilewascreated,bywhom,contenttypeandothertechnicalinformation.Thismayincludecontentsizeandlength,appearancecharacteristics(suchascolorandshape),transcribedaudioforvideocontentandassociateduserinteractionattributessuchascomments,views,exposureandengagementdataornumberofsubscribers.Metadatashouldalsoincludedescriptorsof

thumbnailimagesaccompanyingorrelatedvideocontent,especiallywheretheseimagesmaybemisleadingdifferfromthenatureoftheunderlyingvideocontent.AsdiscussedearlierinthisSupplement,platformsandpublishersarestronglyencouragedtoeitherallowdirectthirdpartymeasurementatacontentlevel(inclusiveofMetadata),ortoactivelyprovidevalidatedfirst-partydataatagranularleveltoenableindependentContextandBrandSafetymeasurement,oneofwhichwillberequiredforaccreditationofcontentlevelthird-partyadverificationsolutions.ThecollectionandtransmissionofMetadataenablingcontentlevelContextandBrandSafetydeterminationsisstronglyencouragedtobesubjectedtoauditandindependentvalidation.AsdiscussedintheMachineLearningsectionofthisSupplement,certainMetadataparametersmaybemoredirectlycorrelatedwithContextandBrandSafetydeterminationsthanothersandthiscorrelationmayvaryovertimeorwiththesizeoftheobserveddataset.InadditiontoguidanceaboverelatedtoscalabilityandMachineLearning(whichshouldbeappliedtoMetadata),adverificationorganizationsutilizingMetadatashouldconsiderlimitationsofthisdatawhenusingittomakeContextandBrandSafetydeterminations.Further,certainMetadataisstaticandnotsubjecttochange,whileotherMetadata,suchasthatcorrespondingtouserinteractionandexposuredata(whichmaybeusedformonetizationcontrols)isdynamic.AsdiscussedintheAdVerificationGuidelinesandabove,freshdataisabsolutelynecessaryforaccurateadverification.DatafreshnessrulesarecriticaltoeffectivemeasurementofcontentforpurposesofContextandBrandSafety.MetadatausedforContextandBrandSafetydeterminationsmayincludeuserreportingorflaggingofobjectionablecontent.Thisparametercanbeavaluableinputintoadverificationfunctionality,butduetothesubjectivenatureofsuchreporting,shouldbeappropriatelyweightedinthedecisionmakingprocessbasedonreviewandrobustqualitycontrol.AutomatedanalysisofMetadataalonewithoutadditionaldatasourcesorconsiderationofhumanandmanualprocessesislikelyinsufficientforcertaincontentlevelContextandBrandSafetydeterminations(suchasvideocontent)andadverificationorganizationsareencouragedtoutilizeotherdataandtechniquesinadditiontoMetadata.ThedegreeofrelianceonMetadatainContextandBrandSafetydeterminationsbyanadverificationorganizationshouldbedisclosedtousers.Suchdisclosuresshouldconsiderprotectionofintellectualpropertyandtheriskofreverseengineeringthatcouldpotentiallyresult.Use-casesandexamplesoftoolsusedareencouragedtobeapartoftechnicaldisclosuresmadebytheadverificationorganization.ThespecificMetadatacollectionmethodsandcontentrecognitionprocessesusedbytheadverificationorganizationshouldbedisclosedatahighlevelandmayinclude,butarenotlimitedto:

• ApplicationProgrammingInterfaces(APIs)• DirectMeasurement• MachineLearning

• OfflineExport• PartnerData• Scraping/Crawling(wherepermissiblebytermsandconditions)• Third-PartyTracking• MetaTags

AsdiscussedintheAdVerificationGuidelines,adverificationservicesmaybeintegratedintoadcampaignsusingsomeformoftrackingasset(adtags,beacons,etc.).Additionally,passive(non-integrated)analysistoolssuchasautomatedcrawlersorspidersmaybeused.Thelimitationsassociatedwiththesemethodsshouldbehighlightedindisclosures–forexample,thenon-randomnatureofobservations,non-censusapproaches,ortheimpactontheabilitytoprojectresults.Datacollectionmethodsshouldbesubjecttointernaltestingandvalidationuponoriginalimplementationaswellasperiodicinternalverificationtesting.ThistestingshouldincludethevalidityoftheContextandBrandSafetymeasures.DatacollectionmethodsanddisclosureswillbethesubjectofintenseproceduralverificationifMRCaccreditationissoughtbythemeasurementorganization.TheMetadatasourceshouldbeclearlydefinedandtheextentofMetadatauseshouldbeincludedintheadverificationorganization’sdisclosures,forexample:

• Whattypeofcontentiscapturedfromwhatplatform;• Usercoverageformeasuredplatforms;• Collectionmethod(direct,API,offlineexport,partner,third-party,scraping/crawling,

etc.);• APItypewhereapplicable(public,closedclient,platformorfirehose);• Depthofcontentcollection(scraping)applied;• Storagemethods,timing;• Natureofmachine(orhuman)analysisprocessesemployed;• Timeperiodsanalyzed;• Editsordataadjustmentsapplied;• Natureofspecialhandlingofambiguouscases;• Errorcorrectionandreissueprocedures;and• ContextandBrandSafetyaccuracy.

Differentlanguagesandlanguage-relatednuancesshouldbeconsideredwhenanalyzingmetadataincludingdialectsandprocessestoingestandanalyzemetadatashouldbedesignedtoaccountfordifferentormultiplelanguagespresent.

6 MobileApplicationsWhiletheguidanceprovidedintheAdVerificationGuidelinesandwithinthisSupplementshouldbefullyappliedwithinmobileapplications,theremaybeuniqueContextandBrand

Safetyconsiderationswithintheseenvironments.Therisksandtechniquesrelevanttomobilein-appenvironmentsrelatedtoContextandBrandSafetyexhibitdifferentialcharacteristicswhencomparedtothoseemployedindesktopormobilewebenvironments.Moreover,measurementassetsutilizedindesktopormobilewebenvironmentssuchascrawlers,JavaScript,cookiesorFlashmaynotbeavailableorfunctionalwithinmobileapplications.InadditiontospecificconsiderationsdetailedintheIAB/MMA/MRCMobileApplicationAdvertisingMeasurementGuidelines,adverificationorganizationsmeasuringContextandBrandSafetyshouldapplyincrementalanddifferentialconsiderationtomobilein-application(in-app)environments.Suchconsiderationshouldbefocusedonmeaningfuldifferenceswithinmobileapplicationsregardinginitialandongoingriskassessments,userbehavior,differencesincontent,heuristicsandsignalsusedtomakeContextandBrandSafetydeterminationsandongoingdataanalysis/benchmarking.Inadditiontoadverificationfunctionalityatanapplicationlevel,contentlevelgranularity(seeguidanceearlierintheSupplement)shouldbeapplieddiscretelywithinmobileapplicationsandnotbasedsolelyondescriptionsofanapplication,applicationstoreinformationortraffictocommonlyownedwebproperties.Whileclassificationoravoidanceofapplicationsbasedontheirdescriptionsorgeneralcontentarepermissible(applevelakintopropertylevel)withcleardisclosure,thiswouldnotbeconsideredcontentlevelin-applicationmeasurementgranularityforpurposesofthisSupplement.MRCintendstoconsiderBrandSafetyaccreditationdiscretelybetweendesktop/mobilewebandmobilein-appenvironments.MRCrecognizesthatdiscretecontentlevelContextandBrandSafetyfunctionalitywithinmobileapplicationsmaybeaspirationalasmanyapplicationsdonotsupportAPIfunctionalityandwhileitisnotrequiredthatadverificationorganizationsdevelopmobilein-appcapabilitiesinthisarea,itishighlyencouragedandrequiredinorderforMRCtograntspecificcontentlevelin-appaccreditationforthisfunctionality.Alternatively,applicationswithoutAPIsupportenablingcontentlevelmeasurementgranularitymaybeclassifiedas“unknown”forBrandSafetypurposes.

7 IllegalSourcesandIndustryCommunicationAdverificationorganizationsshouldmakereasonableattemptstoconsiderlegalrestrictionsrelatedtoprohibitionofcontentandthesourcesofthatcontenttopreventmonetizationofillegalcontent.Specifically,certaintypesofcontentorsourcesofcontentmaybeexpresslyprohibitedbylegalrestrictionssuchascontentpiracyinvolvingcopyrightviolationsandcounterfeiting,ortheremaybeotherrequirementstoremoveillegalcontentwithinaspecifiedtimeperiod(suchasGermany’sNetworkEnforcementAct).Publishersandplatformshavearesponsibilityforsafeguardingtheirpropertiesfromillegalentitiesandsourcesandshouldhaveaqualificationprocesstomakesuretheyaredealingwithalegitimateentityandlegallypermissiblecontentthatisappliedacrosstheplatform,aswellaspoliciestocomplywithrequiredenforcementperiods,evenpriortoapplyingadditionalBrandSafetycontrols.Whilenon-publisherthird-partymeasurementorganizationsaregenerallynotincontrolofcontent

source,theyshouldbeawareoflegalrestrictionsandincludeconsiderationsofthisinContentandBrandSafetymeasurementanddetermination.ProceduresrelatedtodeterminingthelegalityofsourcesandcontentshouldincludeinitialqualificationusingIndustryandlocalsourcesofknownillegalentities,aswellasongoingevaluationlinkedwithadverificationresultsandperiodicinternalauditingofcontentsources.Adverificationorganizationsseekingaccreditationwillberequiredtoprovideevidenceofsourcevettingprocesseswhereapplicableduringaccreditationauditprocesses.Further,totheextentthatadverificationorganizationshaveidentifiedillegalorillegitimatesourcesthatareeithernotincludedinIndustryorlocalsourcesofknownillegalentities,orthataredisguisedasotherlegalandlegitimateentities,processesshouldbeputinplacetoroutinelycommunicatethesesourcestolegalauthorities,oversightbodiesandtheIndustryatlarge.Suchcommunicationsshouldbeconductedwithsensitivitytoprotectionofintellectualpropertyandtheriskofreverseengineeringthatcouldpotentiallyresult.Decisionstoforgocommunicationbyadverificationorganizationsmustbesupportedbyauditableevidenceofsuchrisk.MRCstronglyencouragesandsupportsmechanismsandeffortstocommunicaterelevantBrandSafetyinformationsuchasobservedmonetizationof“unsafe”contentacrosstheIndustryandpubliclysuchasthatcurrentlyproposedwithinthe4A’sAdvertisingProtectionBureau(APB).ThismayincludeopenandtransparentlistingofContextandBrandSafetycategorizationsforpropertiesaswellascontentURLsviaemergingtechnologicalmeanssuchasblockchain.

8 EnhancedBuyerToolsThisSupplementdetailsvarioustoolsverificationorganizationsmayutilizetoclassifyandcategorizecontentforcontextandBrandSafetydeterminations,aswellasproactiveapproachesthatmaybetakenbypublishersorplatformstorestrictadplacementwiththeultimategoalofmeetinganadvertiser’sspecificationsonprotectingitsbrand.Theseapproachesincludecuration,monetizationcontrolsandgranularcategorization.However,thenatureofdynamicUGConSocialMediaPlatformsmayintroduceadditionalsubjectivityregardingtheclassificationofaparticularpieceofcontent.Additionally,differentbuyersmaynotonlyhavedifferenttargetsandavoidancecategories,butalsodifferenttolerancelevelsforriskdependingonbrandsuitability.Whileaminimumbaselineofmonetizationcontrolisencouraged,ultimatelyadverificationorganizationsshouldprovideconsistentanddiscretereportingtousersinordertoenablecustomizedtargetingandavoidance.Beyondcurrentcategorybasedblockingandalerting,adverificationorganizationsshouldenable:adprevention(pre-bid);blockingandalerting(post-campaign)onthebasisofMetadata;discretecontentcharacteristicsincludingtheageofcontentsubscriberstoachannel,thenumberofviewsandinteractionstoenablecustommonetizationcontrolsorflagging/reportingrelatedtothecontent,adjacency,etc.;and

adjacencyparameterstoallowuserstostipulatewhichlevelsmeettheneedsofaparticularcampaignorbrand.Thebasisofmeasurementunderlyingtheseenhancedbuyertoolsshouldbeclearlydisclosed,alongwiththemethodologyusedtocollect,process,editandreportsuchmeasurement.Further,anylimitationsintheunderlyingmeasurementorknownbiasesshouldalsobeclearlydisclosedtoenableuserstoutilizethesetoolsinthepropercontext.Adverificationorganizationsshouldestablishempiricallysupportedandclearlydisclosedminimumrequirementsforreportingwiththeselimitationsandbiasesinmind.

9 RequiredReportingResultsofadverification(includingContextandBrandSafety)shouldbereportedeitheronthebasisoftheamountoftrafficthatisblockedorclassifiedinrelevantcategories(insituationswhentheadverificationfunctionisoutsidetheadchain)oronthebasisoftrafficnetofContextandavoidancecategoriesoutsideofthosestipulatedbytheuser(whenpartoftheadservingfunctionality).Reportingshouldbeattheimpression(orotherrelevantmetric)level,withincampaigns.Reportingmayinclude;(1)whetherresultsareprojectabletoacampaignornot,dependingonverificationdatacollectionmethod;(2)thereliabilityorstandarderroraroundprojectableresultswheresamplesareused;and(3)likelihoodoffalsepositiveresultsbyservicelinebasedonthepriorexperienceoftheverificationservice.Additionally,knowntechnicallimitationsofverificationservices,ifany,shouldbeexplained.Beyondearlyconfirmationandset-uperrordetectionprocedures,performancecommunicationtoadverificationserviceusersshouldbeongoingviaperiodicreportsorthroughanautomatedreportingdashboard.Itispermissibleforadverificationorganizationswithcontentmeasurementgranularitytoreportavoidanceandverificationatthepropertylevelwithproperdisclosure.SuchpropertylevelreportingwithcontentlevelmeasurementgranularitywillbedistinguishedbyMRCfrompropertylevelreportingwithoutdiscretecorrespondingcontentmeasurement.TotheextentthatathirdpartyvendorisnotabletodirectlymeasurecertainaspectsofcontentwithinapropertyforContextandBrandSafety,thevendormaylistthepropertyasuncategorizedorunknownwithcleardisclosureofcapabilitiesorlimitationswithrespecttospecificpropertyorcontentlevelgranularitytoenableavoidanceifausersochooses.Further,inthesesituations,propertiesthatallowUGCmaybegenericallyclassifiedassuch(andbedistinguishedasunknownwithregardtoBrandSafety)toenableausertochoosewhetherornottoplaceadsintheseenvironmentsincaseswherecontentleveldecisionscannotbemade.However,adverificationorganizationswillnotbeconsideredtooffercontentlevelContextandBrandSafetygranularityforpropertiesthatarelabeledgenericallyoruncategorizedwherethesemeasurementlimitationsexist.

Finally,itispermissibleforadverificationorganizationstoclassifycontentorpropertiesbasedonURLkeywordswithoutcontentlevelmeasurement,howeverthisshouldbeclearlydisclosedanddoesnotrepresentcontentlevelmeasurementgranularityorreporting.Further,suchURLlevelreportingislikelyunreliableandlimitedforBrandSafetypurposes.

10 UseofSamplesVarioustechniquesandcontrolsarediscussedthroughoutthisSupplement,andadverificationorganizationsareencouragedtousemorethanoneofthesetechniquesandcontrolsinconjunctionwitheachotherinordertoachieveahighdegreeofconfidenceinContextandBrandSafetydeterminations.Adverificationorganizationsareencouragedtoadoptcompletecensusmeasurementusingdeterministictechniqueswherepossible.However,wheresamplesareusedinmakingContextandBrandSafetydeterminations(suchaswhenusingprobabilisticorpre-bidapproaches),suchsamplesshouldbeconstructedwithaconfidencelevelof99.7%(within3standarddeviations).ConfidencelevelsusedandstandarderrorsurroundingContextandBrandSafetydeterminationsshouldbeactivelydisclosedtousers.Forsample-basedmeasurementofanykind,theadverificationorganizationshouldbediligentaboutensuringvalidprojectionsaremadeandthatthesampleisrepresentativeofthepopulationtargetedformeasurement.Methodsforweightingoradjustingdatatoensureprojectabilityshouldbesupportedbyempiricalstudy,andtheseempiricalstudiesshouldbeupdatedperiodically.Standarderrorsaroundsample-basedprojectionsshouldbedisclosed.

11 GlossaryofTermsAdjacency:ThedegreeofphysicaldistanceinwhichadsareplacedinrelationtospecificcontentthatisclassifiedforContextandBrandSafetypurposes.AdVerificationOrganization:ForthepurposeofthisSupplement,referstoanyorganization,beitathirdpartymeasurementvendor,apublisheroraSocialMediaPlatform,providingAdVerificationservices(measurementand/orreporting)includingContextandBrandSafety.BrandSafety:PracticesandtoolstoensurethatadigitaladwillnotappearadjacenttoorinaContextthatcandamageanadvertiser’sbrand.Context:Referstocertainattributesofapage,site,mobileapplicationorpieceofcontentthatareusedasdeterminantsastowhetherthedestinationwhereadigitaladistobeservedrepresentsanappropriateenvironmentinwhichtheadshouldappear,asdeterminedbyparameterssetbytheadvertiser.Curation:Selectingandvettingspecificpiecesofcontentandgroupingthemintocategories,pagesorchannelswithincommonsubjectmatter,ContextandevenBrandSafetyclassifications(suchasforchildrenorcertainagegroups).

HumanIntervention:ManualreviewofcontentbyadverificationorganizationpersonnelforthepurposeofContextandBrandSafetyclassificationsMachineLearning:Useofmodelsoralgorithmstoautomaticallyingest,analyzeandclassifycontentforpurposesofContextandBrandSafety.Metadata:Datathatprovidesinformationaboutthemakeupofadomain,site,pageorapplicationincludingspecificcontentdetails.Metadatatypicallyincludesdescriptivedatasuchasageneraldescription,authorandkeywords,structuraldatathatincludespageandcontentorganizationandadministrativedatasuchaswhenafilewascreated,bywhom,contenttypeandothertechnicalinformation.Thismayincludecontentsizeandlength,appearancecharacteristics(suchascolorandshape),transcribedaudioforvideocontentandassociateduserinteractionattributes(suchascomments,views,exposureandengagementdataorsubscribership).SocialMediaPlatform:Amediavehicle,site(asawholeorinpart),app,widgetorothermediamechanismthathasasocialorientation;specifically,thatcapturesusercommentaryandfacilitatessharingofinformationamongusersofadefinednetwork–i.e.,representingachannelforsharinginformation,opinionsorexperiencesfromusersofthatplatform–orallowscross-usercollaboration.ThreadedMessage:Asetofcommunications,entriesoreventsthatarerelatedtoacommonpieceoforiginalcontent.UserGeneratedContent(UGC):Contentthatisentered,copied-to,posted(orotherwisecreated)byusersofaSocialMediaPlatformforsharingwithothersonthatPlatform.

12 ReferencesReferenceListofRelevantPreviouslyReleasedMRCStandardsIndustryGuidelines:MRCMinimumStandardsforMediaRatingResearch:http://mediaratingcouncil.org/MRC%20Minimum%20Standards%20-%20December%202011.pdfMRCInvalidTrafficDetectionandFiltrationGuidelinesAddendum:http://mediaratingcouncil.org/101515_IVT%20Addendum%20FINAL%20(Version%201.0).pdfMRCSocialMediaMeasurementGuidelines:http://mediaratingcouncil.org/MRC%20Social%20Measurement%20Guidelines%20v1.0%20Final.pdf

MRCDesktopandMobileViewabilityGuidelines:http://mediaratingcouncil.org/081815%20Viewable%20Ad%20Impression%20Guideline_v2.0_Final.pdfhttp://mediaratingcouncil.org/062816%20Mobile%20Viewable%20Guidelines%20Final.pdfIAB/MRCGuidelinesfortheConductofAdVerification:https://www.iab.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Ad-Verification-Guideline-for-the-Conduct-of.pdfIAB/MMA/MRCMobileApplicationAdvertisingMeasurementGuidelines:https://www.iab.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Mobile-In-App-Measurement-Guidelines-MMTF-Final-v1.1.pdfIABTechLabContentTaxonomy:https://www.iab.com/guidelines/iab-quality-assurance-guidelines-qag-taxonomy/

13 SupportingAssociationsandParticipatingOrganizationsAbouttheMediaRatingCouncil(MRC)TheMediaRatingCouncilisanon-profitIndustryassociationestablishedin1963comprisedofleadingtelevision,radio,printanddigitalmediacompanies,aswellasadvertisers,advertisingagenciesandtradeassociations,whosegoalistoensuremeasurementservicesthatarevalid,reliableandeffective.MeasurementservicesdesiringMRCaccreditationarerequiredtodisclosetotheircustomersallmethodologicalaspectsoftheirservice;complywiththeMRCMinimumStandardsforMediaRatingResearchaswellasotherapplicableIndustrymeasurementguidelines;andsubmittoMRC-designedauditstoauthenticateandilluminatetheirprocedures.Inaddition,theMRCmembershipactivelypursuesresearchissuestheyconsiderprioritiesinanefforttoimprovethequalityofresearchinthemarketplace.Currentlyapproximately110researchproductsareauditedbytheMRC.AdditionalinformationaboutMRCcanbefoundatwww.mediaratingcouncil.orgAbouttheAmericanAssociationofAdvertisingAgencies(4A’s)Foundedin1917,the4A’swasestablishedtopromote,advanceanddefendtheinterestsofourmemberagencies,theiremployeesandtheindustryatlarge.Theorganizationserves700+memberagenciesacross1,300offices,whichcontrolmorethan85%oftotalU.S.advertisingspend.Astheleadingtradeorganizationformarketingcommunicationagencies,the4A’spurposeistohelpempoweritsmemberstodeliverinsightfulcreativitythatdrivescommerce,andinfluencescultureallwhilemovingtheindustryforward.Theorganizationprovidescommunity,leadership,advocacy,guidanceandbest-in-classtrainingthathelpenableagenciestoinnovate,evolveandgrow.4A’sBenefitsdivisioninsuresmorethan160,000employeesanditsD.C.officeadvocatesforpoliciesthatbestsupportathrivingadvertisingindustry.The4A’sFoundationfuelsarobustdiversitypipelineoftalentforitsmembersandthemarketingandmediaindustry,fosteringthenextgenerationofleaders.Theorganizationisdedicatedto,and

vestedin,ourmembers’successjustastheyarededicatedtohelpingbrandscreate,distribute,andmeasureeffectiveandinsightfuladvertisingandmarketing.Visitthe4A’sathttp://www.aaaa.org.AbouttheAssociationofNationalAdvertisers(ANA)TheANA(AssociationofNationalAdvertisers)makesadifferenceforindividuals,brands,andtheindustrybydrivinggrowth,advancingtheinterestsofmarketers,andpromotingandprotectingthewell-beingofthemarketingcommunity.Foundedin1910,theANAprovidesleadershipthatadvancesmarketingexcellenceandshapesthefutureoftheindustry.TheANA’smembershipincludesmorethan1,000companieswith15,000brandsthatcollectivelyspendorsupportmorethan$400billioninmarketingandadvertisingannually.Themembershipiscomprisedofmorethan750client-sidemarketersand300marketingserviceproviders,whichincludeleadingagencies,lawfirms,suppliers,consultants,andvendors.FurtherenrichingtheecosystemistheworkofthenonprofitANAEducationalFoundation(AEF),whichhasthemissionofenhancingtheunderstandingofadvertisingandmarketingwithintheacademicandmarketingcommunities.AbouttheInteractiveAdvertisingBureau(IAB)TheInteractiveAdvertisingBureau(IAB)empowersthemediaandmarketingindustriestothriveinthedigitaleconomy.Itsmembershipiscomprisedofmorethan650leadingmediaandtechnologycompaniesthatareresponsibleforselling,delivering,andoptimizingdigitaladvertisingormarketingcampaigns.Thetradegroupfieldscriticalresearchoninteractiveadvertising,whilealsoeducatingbrands,agencies,andthewiderbusinesscommunityontheimportanceofdigitalmarketing.InaffiliationwiththeIABTechLab,itdevelopstechnicalstandardsandbestpractices.IABandtheIABEducationFoundationarecommittedtoprofessionaldevelopmentandelevatingtheknowledge,skills,expertise,anddiversityoftheworkforceacrosstheindustry.ThroughtheworkofitspublicpolicyofficeinWashington,D.C.,IABadvocatesforitsmembersandpromotesthevalueoftheinteractiveadvertisingindustrytolegislatorsandpolicymakers.Thereare43IABslicensedtooperateinnationsaroundtheworldandoneregionalIAB,inEurope.Foundedin1996,theIABisheadquarteredinNewYorkCityandhasaSanFranciscooffice.ParticipatingWorkingGroupOrganizations:4As Google OleCommunicationsACA Grapeshot OpenSlateANA GroupM P&GAnnalect HorizonMedia PandoraApple IAB PfizerAT&TAdWords IntegralAdScience PinterestBankofAmerica ISBA PublicisMediaBuzzfeed ITNNetworks SIPICIBC JPMorganChase Snap

comScore LinkedIn TAGCrownMedia MediaManagementInc. TwitterDeloitte&Touche Mediaoptimise UnileverDigitalContentNext MMA VABDoubleVerify Moat/Oracle VizioEY NAB WWEFacebook NCMMedia FOXNetworksGroup Newsweek

14 ContactUsMRC:RonPinelli,VPDigitalResearchandStandards212-972-0300rpinelli@mediaratingcouncil.org

©CopyrightMediaRatingCouncil,Inc.Allrightsreserved.

AppendixA:SectionSummariesTorecap,themajoraspectsofeachSection1-8include(butarenotlimitedto)thefollowing:Section2(ContentGranularity)Summary

• ContextandBrandSafetyfunctionalityshouldincludecontentlevelgranularity• DynamiccontentandUGCshouldbediscretelyconsidered• Differencesinpropertyandcontentlevelshouldbeconsidered• Contentlevelgranularityshouldbeinadditiontocontinuingtoprovidediscrete

propertyclassifications• Adverificationorganizationswithcontentmeasurementgranularitymayreport

avoidanceandverificationatthepropertylevelwithproperdisclosure• AdverificationorganizationsmayclassifycontentorpropertiesbasedonURLkeywords

withoutcontentlevelmeasurement,howeverthisdoesnotrepresentcontentlevelmeasurementgranularityorreporting

• MRC’saccreditationprocesswillevaluateanddistinguishbetweenlevelsormeasurementandreportinggranularity.

• CapabilitiesandlimitationsateachlevelshouldbedisclosedwithguidanceforuseSection3(SocialMediaandUGC)Summary

• SocialMediaPlatformcontentandUGCnecessitateuniqueanddiscreteconsiderations• Dynamiccontentshoulddrivedatafreshnessandminimumbaselinedataguardrails• SocialMediaPlatformsandpublishersarestronglyencouragedtoeitherallowdirect

thirdpartymeasurementatacontentlevelortoactivelyprovidefirst-partydatatothird-partymeasurers

• Freshdataisabsolutelynecessaryforaccurateadverification• Minimumreportingthresholdsshouldbeemployed• Curationofcontentisencouragedandcanbeleveraged,butnotreliedonifunaudited• Curationbasedonpopularityorexposurenecessitatesenhancedfocusandmonitoring• Volumerequiresconsiderationofabilitytoscalemeasurementandminimizedowntime• MachineLearningshouldbeempiricallysupportedandbasedonqualitydata• Thelevelofrelianceonmachinelearningversushumaninterventionormanualreview

shouldbegenerallydisclosed• Models/algorithmsunderlyingMachineLearningshouldbeappropriateandsupported• MachineLearningshouldbedeployedinconjunctionwithfocusedHumanIntervention• HumanInterventionshouldbeinformedbyMachineLearningandarisk-basedapproach• PersonnelinvolvedinHumanInterventionshouldbeadequatelytrainedandsupervised• HumanInterventionresultsshouldcontinuallyvalidateandinformMachineLearning• MonetizationcontrolsareencouragedtomakeContextandBrandSafetymanageable

• IVTshouldbeconsideredinContextandBrandSafetyprocessesandfunctionality• Proprietarytaxonomiesshouldbesupportedanddisclosed• Aminimumlevelofcontentthatexcludescertainbaselinecategoriesofferedasa

collectivereportingorblockinggroupconsideredunsafeorineligibleformonetization(“thefloor”)isencouragedeitherasadefaultcontroloraselectedbyadvertisers

• Advertisersmaychoosetowaivethefloorandallowadvertisingtooneoralloftheincludedcategories

• MRCrecommendstheestablishmentofanIndustryworkinggrouptoreviewexistingtaxonomiesanddeterminehowconsistencycanbecreated

• MRCsupportsIndustryinitiativestoupdateandenhancetaxonomiesforUGC/content

Section4(Adjacency)Summary

• Adjacencyshouldbemeasuredbasedonmeaningfulunitsandshouldbeplatformspecific

• Adjacencyalsoappliestovideoplaylistenvironments• Placementsthatfallzeromeasurementunitsfromspecificcontentbeingmeasuredor

thatareabletobesimultaneouslyviewable(50%ofpixels)areconsidereddirectlyadjacent

• Adjacencyrangesorscoresmaybereportedandshouldbeclearlydefined• Platformsandpublishersareencouragedtoenablethird-partyadjacencymeasurement

orotherwiseprovidevalidatedfirst-partysignalstovendorsSection5(Metadata)Summary

• SocialMediaPlatformsandpublishersarestronglyencouragedtoallowdirectthirdpartymeasurementatacontentlevelortoprovidevalidatedfirst-partydata

• ThecollectionandtransmissionofMetadatashouldbeauditedandvalidated• AdverificationorganizationsutilizingMetadatashouldconsiderlimitationsofthisdata• Userreportingorflaggingofobjectionablecontentshouldbeappropriatelyweighted

basedonreviewandrobustqualitycontrol• AutomatedanalysisofMetadataalonewithoutadditionaldatasourcesorconsideration

ofhumanandmanualprocessesislikelyinsufficientforcertaincontentlevelContextandBrandSafetymeasurement

• ThedegreeofrelianceonMetadatashouldbedisclosedtousers• TheMetadatacollectionmethodshouldbefullydisclosedandsubjecttointernaltesting• TheMetadatasourceshouldbeclearlydefinedandtheextentofMetadatauseshould

beincludedindisclosures• Processestoingestandanalyzemetadatashouldbedesignedtoaccountfordifferentor

multiplelanguages

Section6(MobileApplications)Summary

• TheguidanceprovidedintheAdVerificationGuidelinesandwithinthisSupplementshouldbefullyappliedwithinmobileapplications

• SpecificconsiderationsdetailedintheIAB/MMA/MRCMobileApplicationAdvertisingMeasurementGuidelinesshouldbeapplied

• Adverificationorganizationsshouldapplyincrementalanddifferentialconsiderationtomobilein-appenvironments

• Contentlevelgranularityshouldbeapplieddiscretelywithinmobileapplications• MRCintendstoconsiderBrandSafetyaccreditationdiscretelybetweendesktop/mobile

webandmobilein-appenvironmentsSection7(IllegalSourcesandIndustryCommunication)Summary

• Adverificationorganizationsshouldconsiderlegalrestrictionsrelatedtoprohibitionofcontentandthesourcesofthatcontentaswellasenforcementandremovalperiods

• Publishersandplatformsshouldhaveaqualificationprocesstoensuretheyaredealingwithalegitimateentityandlegallypermissiblecontentappliedacrosstheplatform

• ProceduresshouldincludeinitialqualificationusingIndustryandlocalsourcesofknownillegalentities,aswellasongoingevaluationlinkedwithadverificationresults

• Processesshouldbeputinplacetoroutinelycommunicatefindingsrelatedtoillegalsourcestoauthorities,oversightbodiesandtheIndustryatlarge

• MRCstronglyencouragesandsupportsmechanismsandeffortstocommunicaterelevantBrandSafetyinformationacrosstheIndustryandpublicly

Section8(EnhancedBuyerTools)Summary

• Curation,monetizationcontrolsandgranularcategorizationshouldbeconsistentlyanddiscretelyreportedtousersinordertoenablecustomizedtargetingandavoidance

• Adverificationorganizationsshouldenableadprevention,blockingandalertingonthebasisofMetadata,discretecontentcharacteristicsandadjacencycriteria

• Thebasisofmeasurement,methodologyandlimitationsunderlyingenhancedbuyertoolsshouldbeclearlydisclosed

MRC Ad Verification Supplement- Enhanced Content Level ...mediaratingcouncil.org/MRC Ad...

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