The Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) has teamed up with content creator anti-piracy alliance, Alianza and White Bullet Solutions to introduce the anti-ad-supported piracy initiative, Project Brand Integrity (PBI), according to a press release.
"No brand wants to be associated with illegal and unsafe content, and Project Brand Integrity helps provide an early warning system to alert responsible advertisers to such misplacements, so they can take appropriate action to protect their brands and their investments," TAG's VP Global Engagement and Operations Nick Stringer said. "We know this collaborative approach is effective and scalable, thanks to the proven track record of PBI in Europe. TAG is excited to expand PBI with our partners in Latin America, so we can take bold action to cut off the money to the criminals who profit from ad-supported piracy and continue to help advertisers increase their ad spend power."
Aiming to protect digital advertising supply, the advertising industry organization TAG has helped reduce the average advertiser’s monthly advertising spend on pirate websites by 89% last year, and 86% of contacted advertisers reduce pirate site-derived ad impressions in Europe.
PBI was established in 2019 to prevent brands from connecting with illegal stolen content, sending alerts to advertisers and agencies upon identifying a threat from pirate sites that disrupt intellectual property in Europe.
The expansion will allow PBI to assist Latin American advertisers and their agencies to prevent brand risk and damage from illegal pirate websites.
"Brands are generally unaware when their advertising is placed on piracy websites and that they are funding illegal activity, so outreach via TAG's PBI is an effective way to raise awareness with agencies and brands helping them take steps to protect their digital ad supply chains," Peter Szyszko, White Bullet's founder and CEO, said. "Expanding this programme to Latin America, with the expertise of Alianza, will benefit the local market in a positive way, supporting advertisers' demands for more transparency, better return on ad spend and increased brand safety, whilst stopping revenues flowing to criminals ."
White Bullet will begin by scanning the top local infringing sites, as well as ads from legitimate brands present on these sites. Upon identifying a potential threat, White Bullet will then notify TAG, who will privately alert advertisers and/or advertising agencies involved. Other anti-piracy resources will be made available by TAG and Alianza to educate advertisers/agencies.
"In our experience of the digital environment, generally brands are unaware that with certain digital ad impressions they are involuntarily financing illegal services in the region," Jorge Bacaloni, president of Alianza said. "As a consequence, it is highly important to create awareness about the contribution that brands are making and with coordinated action plans to define an enforcement strategy. There is no industry initiative like the PBI in LATAM, so we hope that this will be as successful as in Europe.”