Invest early in Ad Integrity

Platforms do not exercise full control over ad integrity.

While a platform can set its policies, and develop strong policing mechanisms to moderate content, any ad integrity system will be driven by what content is submitted in the first place.

Platforms may not have control over what gets submitted, but they can influence it. They can create the conditions for 'good ads' to flourish and where fewer violating ads are submitted.

This is an exercise in signalling.

Typically platforms get away with sub-par moderation systems in their early days as it is comparatively less lucrative for bad actors to exploit users.

Not only is it less lucrative - but there is friction. A bad actor needs to learn the platform’s rules, tools and ways of working. This creates a natural disincentive for bad actors early on.

So it is tempting for Platforms to under-invest in ad integrity until bad actors show up.

This is a mistake.

The existence of fraudulent ads on a platform signals to other bad actors that it is possible to circumvent the moderation systems. It also signals that it may be worth doing so.

In other words, a bad actor may conclude that the presence of fraudulent ads indicates that it is lucrative to do so.

Bad ads attract more bad ads. In so doing, the moderation systems can be severely stressed.

But it can get much worse. Bad actors, like weeds, can lie dormant for extended periods before blooming when conditions for growth are suddenly favourable.

Once they take hold, it is serious work to get rid of them.

Prevention is better than cure.

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This post is part of the Trust, Safety & Integrity Sequence a series of short thoughts inspired by my time working on Monetisation Integrity with TikTok. The posts focus mostly on the experience of trust and safety and ad integrity online, with particular emphasis on the larger digital platforms.