---
title: "Invalid Traffic (IVT)"
slug: "invalid-traffic-ivt"
updated: 2025-11-14T17:52:32Z
published: 2025-11-14T17:52:32Z
canonical: "help.quantcast.com/invalid-traffic-ivt"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.quantcast.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Invalid Traffic (IVT)

Invalid Traffic (IVT) is any traffic that does not come from a genuine human being with a 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](/v1/docs/brand-safety).

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, thereby reaping the revenue from hosting them.
- 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.