Home The Big Story The Big Story: Methbot Ad Fraudster Goes To Prison
PODCAST: The Big Story

The Big Story: Methbot Ad Fraudster Goes To Prison

By

SHARE:
The Big Story podcast

The architect of Methbot was found guilty in a New York court last week. The verdict came nearly five years after the ad fraud scheme was first publicized back in December 2016.

We dive into the most intriguing details of the case – from the likely political motivations behind the prosecution to the sophistication of the fraud scheme itself. It’s all on this week’s episode of The Big Story.

Also on the agenda, Tapad is exiting the European market, a scoop broken by AdExchanger.

When we contacted Tapad (owned by Experian), the company said that GDPR wasn’t the reason but, the fact remains, that most other cross-device identification companies have already packed their bags and sailed away.

Seems like there’s a trend of GDPR-related company migrations from the EU of companies that either can’t or don’t want to pivot their business to meet GDPR’s consent requirements. Will we see more? Listen in for our take on this legal-themed edition of The Big Story.

Must Read

Online Advertising

LiveRamp Outperforms On Earnings And Lays Out Its Data Network Ambitions

LiveRamp reported an unexpected boost to Q3 revenue, from $160 million last year to $185 million in 2024, during its quarterly call with investors on Wednesday.

Google in the antitrust crosshairs (Law concept. Single line draw design. Full length animation illustration. High quality 4k footage)
antitrust

Google And The DOJ Recap Their Cases In The Countdown To Closing Arguments

If you’re trying to read more than 1,000 pages of legal documents about the US v. Google ad tech antitrust case on Election Day, you’ve come to the right place.

Publishers

NYT’s Ad And Subscription Revenue Surge As WaPo Flails

While WaPo recently lost 250,000 subscribers due to concerns over its journalistic independence, NYT added 260,000 subscriptions in Q3 thanks largely to the popularity of its non-news offerings.

Privacy! Commerce! Connected TV! Read all about it. Subscribe to AdExchanger Newsletters
Mark Proulx, global director of media quality & responsibility, Kenvue
Marketers

How Kenvue Avoided $3 Million In Wasted Media Spend

Stop thinking about brand safety verification as “insurance” – a way to avoid undesirable content – and start thinking about it as an opportunity to build positive brand associations, says Kenvue’s Mark Proulx.

Comic: Lunch Is Searched
alphabet

Based On Its Q3 Earnings, Maybe AIphabet Should Just Change Its Name To AI-phabet

Google hit some impressive revenue benchmarks in Q3. But investors seemed to only have eyes for AI.

Platforms

Reddit’s Ads Biz Exploded In Q3, Albeit From A Small Base

Ad revenue grew 56% YOY even without some of Reddit’s shiny new ad products, including generative AI creative tools and in-comment ads, being fully integrated into its platform.

Popular

  1. Comic: Summer of Programmatic
    Programmatic

    Programmatic Audio Is A Tough Market. So SoundCloud Is Leading With Display And Video

    To court new programmatic buyers, SoundCloud is now selling its display and video ads via open auction and private marketplace deals that combine multiple types of inventory.

  2. Google in the antitrust crosshairs (Law concept. Single line draw design. Full length animation illustration. High quality 4k footage)
    antitrust

    Google And The DOJ Recap Their Cases In The Countdown To Closing Arguments

    If you’re trying to read more than 1,000 pages of legal documents about the US v. Google ad tech antitrust case on Election Day, you’ve come to the right place.

  3. Advertiser

    How Dewar’s Uses Social Media – And Golf – To Target A New Generation Of Scotch Drinkers

    With signal loss on the rise, many advertisers are giving first-party data more of a shot. Not scotch whisky brand Dewar’s, though.

  4. Advertiser

    Snapchat’s New Lead Gen Tools Help SMBs Seal The Deal With New Customers

    Snapchat probably isn’t the first thing you think of when you hear “CRM,” but Snap is trying to change that.

  5. Jim Spanfeller, CEO, G/O Media
    OPINION: The Sell Sider

    Imagining A Post-Monopoly Era: The Future Of Publishing Without Google's Dominance

    A Google breakup could lead to a more fragmented market, with multiple smaller entities competing for ad space. This will almost certainly result in increased competition and higher ad rates for publishers.