Facebook, Google, Twitter, AOL Form Alliance Against "Bad Ads"

Facebook, Google, Twitter, and AOL will start working together to fight “bad ads.“ The companies formed an alliance today to combat ads delivering malware, scams, or counterfeit products. The Ads Integrity Alliance also includes the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

“Bad ads reduce trust in the web and in online advertising,“ Google`s Global Public Policy Manager Eric Davis said in a blog post today. “The web puts the world`s information at your fingertips and has given everyone a platform to speak, listen, engage and unite. The growth that businesses generate from online advertising has enabled an enormous part of this platform. We think the web is worth fighting for, which is why we strongly support the Ads Integrity Alliance`s efforts to tackle bad actors who seek to damage it.“

The alliance against bad ads will be led by StopBadware, an NGO that hosts the Badware Website Clearinghouse which lists websites containing or linking to malware and “badware.”

Since it was created in 2006, StopBadware has enabled websites, service and software providers to share information to warn users and eliminate malware, including viruses, phishing sites and malicious downloads.

Last year Google said it disabled more than 130 million ads and 800,000 advertisers that violated security policies, promoting ads for counterfeit goods or malware.

“Other players in the industry also have significant initiatives in this area,“ Eric Davis said. “But when Google or another website shuts down a bad actor, that scammer often simply tries to advertise elsewhere. No individual business or law enforcement agency can single-handedly eliminate these bad actors from the entire web.“

The partnership led by StopBadware already highlighted its main plans to develop and share definitions, policy recommendations, best practices, and relevant trends with policymakers and law enforcement agencies. Other internet players are expected to join the alliance.