Invalid Traffic (IVT) is any traffic that does not come from a genuine human being with genuine interest. It can include accidental clicks, bots, fraud, and other invalid clicks.
IVT is not the same as Brand Safety. For information on Brand Safety, see our Brand Safety section.
Quantcast identifies Invalid Traffic in several categories.
Fraud Categories
Bot & Click Fraud
Most click bots run on devices without users' knowledge due to malware infection.
Click fraud perpetrators can set up web pages that display Pay-per-click (PPC) ads and then use click bots to "click" on those ads so that they can reap the revenue for hosting those ads.
They can also be used to damage competitors’ by driving up their clicks on PPC ads.
Domain Spoofing
Domain spoofing involves creating a fake website or email that appears to be from a legitimate source. The goal is to trick users into sharing sensitive information, such as login credentials or financial data.
Hidden Ads
Hidden ads are displayed in a way that they overlay each other almost completely or are overlaid by website components such as pictures, articles, and graphics.
Quantcast IVT Detection
Quantcast uses two kinds of IVT when analyzing clicks/impressions for reporting purposes:
Industry-standard IVT
Quantcast's advanced IVT detection to report the most accurate number of clicks possible. It is used to calculate click-through rates and other click-based metrics.
NOTE: When using Quantcast’s advanced IVT in click-based metrics, you may notice that our numbers differ from GA4 because we identify more traffic as invalid.