Amnet are in support of the IAB’s ads.txt initiative to combat ad fraud and provide more media transparency in the programmatic ecosystem. We believe this is a positive step to clean up inventory and cut out unnecessary arbitrage. We are asking all publisher partners to adopt this standard by the end of this year.

The Guardian has adopted the ads.txt protocol globally, we support all moves to clean up the digital ecosystem and improve transparency of the programmatic supply chain. Ads.txt verified vendors provides buyers with a guarantee that inventory is genuine, and will help eliminate fraud practices in the industry.

Transparency delivered through the ads.txt initiative will go a long way to helping addressing fraud in the industry. Given the minimal level of effort involved, this is probably the most impactful way your business can help build trust and confidence in the digital ecosystem this year.

GroupM is an advocate of any technology enhancement that improves transparency in the marketplace. Ads.txt is one of the key initiatives that help push the industry forwards towards a safer environment for all players. The good work that governing bodies, like the IAB, do is key to continuously disrupting, evolving and advancing. We are fully supportive of ads.txt.

Ads.txt is super easy to implement as all it requires is the ads.txt file to be dropped into the root directory of your website. It only takes a few minutes to create and deploy. The contents of the ads.txt file will vary from publisher to publisher, your ad-tech vendor should be able to assist with the details.

As a buyer, decreasing fraud is a number one priority. Ads.txt automatically gives me, as a buyer, increased security in programmatic that hasn’t been possible before. It’s a win-win situation for us all. It allows buyers to ensure that we buy the correct inventory and also ensures the revenue intended for publishers actually reaches them, not fraudsters. In the next 3 months our focus will be on buying inventory from publishers that have ads.txt in place to safeguard our clients against fraud.

Ads.txt has been very simple to format and implement for the 40+ publishers we work with. 1 simple file per site with all authorised resellers stated so that buyers can see exactly where their money is going. We understand advertisers need this transparency in the industry to allow them target campaigns effectively. We're optimistic this initiative will also benefit our publishers by attracting more advertisers to their best performing inventory and focusing digital spend on genuine, good quality impressions.