From ad optimization to comprehensive fraud protection, HUMAN Security’s collaboration with Opera Ads highlights its mission to create a safer, more transparent digital ad ecosystem.
Geoff Stupay’s career path may not have started in cybersecurity, but his journey as an online publisher laid the groundwork for a mission to protect ad placements from fraud.
His journey began in a seemingly unrelated place—a music website. As a publisher, he encountered the real complexities of scaling ad revenue. “It was easy to manage when the site was small,” Geoff, VP of Strategy at HUMAN Security, explained, “but as it grew, so did the costs—and so did the problems with ads.”
When his site grew, so did the challenges—from ad placement and revenue optimization to dealing with security risks that arise as ad traffic scales. The tipping point? Experiencing firsthand the hurdles publishers face with ad monetization.
Through trial and error, Geoff’s experiences shaped his approach to ad safety. “Starting as a publisher, you understand the constant struggles,” Geoff shared. “These challenges became the foundation for clean.io.”
Recognizing a broader need in the industry, Geoff launched clean.io to help publishers protect their inventory from malicious ads and ad fraud. As part of HUMAN, this vision has scaled to encompass invalid traffic (IVT) detection, and end-to-end protection for publishers and advertisers alike.
Building on its mission to create a safer digital advertising ecosystem, HUMAN continues to expand its reach through partnerships. Its latest collaboration with Opera Ads exemplifies a commitment to combating ad fraud globally.
HUMAN’s Partnership with Opera Ads: Enhancing Ad Security and User Experience
HUMAN recently partnered with Opera Ads to bolster online advertising security and improve user experience. This collaboration leverages HUMAN’s expertise in cybersecurity to protect Opera Ads’ ecosystem from IVT and ad fraud, with a focus on CTV advertising.
The integration will safeguard users’ online experiences by maintaining ad quality and preventing fraudulent activities across Opera Ads’ extensive omnichannel marketplace, which processes over 400 billion daily ad requests. Opera Ads, a multifaceted platform with supply-side (SSP) and demand-side (DSP) components, will benefit from HUMAN’s prebid detection and mitigation solution.
HUMAN’s support will ensure that all interactions and transactions within Opera Ads’ ecosystem are secure, optimizing ad-buying and maintaining the integrity of advertising campaigns. This partnership is crucial for addressing the unique challenges of CTV advertising, such as limited on-device measurement capabilities.
Addressing Broader Industry Challenges in Digital Marketing Fraud
While HUMAN’s partnership with Opera Ads addresses ad fraud in the digital advertising ecosystem, the company’s recent research reveals broader challenges in the industry. A new report on loyalty marketing conducted by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and HUMAN highlights the pervasive nature of fraud in loyalty programs.
The study found that fraud and the inability to detect it are significant issues in loyalty marketing. According to the report, 33% of respondents work at organizations where their loyalty program has experienced fraud, and nearly half are unaware if their organization has been subject to fraud.
These findings underscore the need for robust fraud detection across high-value digital marketing channels.
Rethinking IVT in Connected TV
As HUMAN’s work with Opera Ads highlights, adapting to fraud in high-value channels like CTV is critical, as threats are both complex and costly.
With CTV rapidly evolving as a major advertising channel, brand safety requirements have deepened, making verification, viewability, and contextual safety essential priorities.
“We’re not just looking at whether an ad is shown, but whether it’s seen by real people, in the right place, and in the right context,” explained Geoff. “Most companies check boxes for brand safety, viewability, and verification, but we wanted to go deeper. HUMAN recently announced a $50+ million growth funding investment to support organic expansion of Human Defense Platform, including improvements to digital account protections, and new media security solutions for click fraud defense and advertising integrity for platforms, agencies, and brands.”
HUMAN emphasizes IVT detection as part of its cybersecurity-first strategy. At HUMAN, the saying, “Bot, or not?” helps them tackle threats at their root. Collaborating closely with advertisers and publishers enables HUMAN to refine its CTV fraud prevention methods.
The booming CTV)landscape has become a prime target for sophisticated fraudsters, drawn by its rapid growth, high-value CPMs, and the unique challenges of its complex ecosystem. “We’re seeing the growth of CTV come with new and complex threats, and that’s why we’re constantly refining our technology,” said Geoff.
Harnessing Global Visibility for Unmatched Fraud Detection
With a presence across digital channels and a capacity to examine over 20 trillion interactions weekly, HUMAN’s extensive visibility strengthens proactive fraud prevention, enabling Opera Ads and other partners to secure ad placements on a global scale.
This vast reach allows for real-time insights and immediate responses to fraud, benefiting advertisers and helping publishers secure inventory from malicious activity.
According to Geoff, the company’s insights can translate into better yield and more sustainable revenue for publishers. “The more we see, the better we protect. Our visibility isn’t just about catching fraud; it’s about creating a safer, more transparent environment for everyone involved,” he shared.
HUMAN’s effectiveness is further enhanced by its Satori Threat Intelligence and Research team, which is dedicated to understanding fraud at its core. Working with law enforcement agencies, the team investigates emerging threats and collaborates on major industry takedowns. Sarah Acker, Head of Marketing at HUMAN, explained, “Ad fraud is incredibly profitable. But through our partnerships and intelligence, we’re able to disrupt it in ways that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.”
The partnership between HUMAN and Opera Ads represents a significant step forward in the fight against ad fraud, particularly in the rapidly growing and complex CTV advertising space. Combining Opera Ads’ extensive reach with HUMAN’s advanced fraud detection capabilities will create a more secure and transparent digital advertising ecosystem for all stakeholders.
Forging Industry Partnerships for a Safer Future
Beyond individual partnerships like the one with Opera Ads, HUMAN collaborates with industry organizations to strengthen ad safety across the entire ecosystem. A prime example of this commitment is a partnership with Prebid.org.
“Prebid is used throughout the publisher ecosystem, so we’re working with them to implement more robust measurement and fraud prevention,” Geoff shared. “It’s about making sure every participant in this ecosystem is on the same page.”
Through partnerships like the one with Prebid, HUMAN aims to help publishers adopt safer practices without sacrificing privacy. These collaborations enhance ad safety while equipping advertisers with the necessary tools to maintain transparency with their audiences and publisher partners.
In his work, Geoff remains focused on the company’s mission to protect both the buy and sell sides of the digital ecosystem. It takes a collaborative effort to prevent fraud from happening.