AccuWeather Earns TAG Certified Against Fraud Seal for Protecting Businesses, Consumers from Digital Advertising Fraud

June 03, 2019; 9:54 AM

AccuWeather meets stringent anti-fraud requirements set by TAG, the leading global certification program fighting criminal activity and increasing trust in the digital advertising industry.

AccuWeather Global Weather Center - June 3, 2019 - AccuWeather, the world's largest and fastest-growing weather and digital media company, today announced the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) has awarded the company the coveted TAG Certified Against Fraud Seal.

Created by the industry's top trade organizations, TAG is the leading global certification program fighting criminal activity and increasing trust in the digital advertising industry. The organization brings together companies across the digital advertising supply chain to eliminate fraudulent traffic, combat malware, prevent Internet piracy and promote greater transparency in digital advertising.

By earning TAG's Certified Against Fraud Seal, AccuWeather joins a group of media and advertising companies that have met the stringent requirements designed to protect advertisers, publishers, technology providers and consumers from digital ad fraud, including "fake clicks" generated from bots, domain spoofing and the reselling of unauthorized inventory. Fraud costs the digital advertising industry an estimated $20 billion per year, but could go up as high as $50 billion by 2025, according to industry experts.

"As a leader and innovator in the digital media space, AccuWeather has always worked to protect both the organizations that advertise with us, and the individuals who turn to AccuWeather to protect their families, themselves and their property as well as to get more from their day," said Julie Johnson, Vice President, IT Process and Communications at AccuWeather. "User safety, security and transparency are top priorities at AccuWeather, and it's an honor to receive this certification from TAG. We look forward to continuing to work with TAG to further enhance best practices within the digital advertising industry."

Said Mike Zaneis, TAG's Chief Executive Officer, "We are delighted to recognize AccuWeather with the TAG Certified Against Fraud Seal, which highlights the company's leadership in protecting the integrity of the digital advertising supply chain. This achievement shows AccuWeather's commitment to winning the fight against fraudulent, non-human traffic in the digital advertising business, and we look forward to working together to build a strong and safer ad ecosystem."

In the United States, companies using TAG-certified channels have seen an 84 percent reduction in invalid traffic rates compared to the broader industry average. In Europe, the drop is even more dramatic -- 94 percent reduction, from an industry average of 8.99 percent to just 0.53 percent, according to TAG's latest fraud benchmark study for European markets. As AccuWeather seeks to better serve people and businesses worldwide, its TAG Certified status provides even more certainty to advertisers and publishers in the EMEA market.

To meet the guidelines for the TAG Certified Against Fraud Seal, AccuWeather implemented processes, systems and tools to filter out invalid traffic to its web sites, and it obtained Media Rating Council accreditation for invalid traffic detection. The company also discloses sources of paid traffic, and it conducts quarterly internal reviews to ensure compliance. In addition, as AccuWeather's TAG Designated Compliance Officer, Johnson participates actively in the TAG Certified Against Fraud program to stay current on best practices for preventing fraud.

About AccuWeather, Inc. and AccuWeather.com

AccuWeather, recognized and documented as the most accurate source of weather forecasts and warnings in the world, has saved tens of thousands of lives, prevented hundreds of thousands of injuries and tens of billions of dollars in property damage. With global headquarters in State College, PA and other offices around the world, AccuWeather serves more than 1.5 billion people daily to help them plan their lives and get more out of their day through radio, television, newspapers, smart phones, tablets, connected TVs, the AccuWeather Network and AccuWeather.com. Additionally, AccuWeather produces and distributes news, weather content, and video for more than 180,000 third-party websites. Among AccuWeather's many innovative and award-winning features available free to the public are MinuteCast® Minute by Minute™ forecasts with Superior Accuracy™. Furthermore, AccuWeather serves more than half of Fortune 500 companies and thousands of businesses globally. Dr. Joel N. Myers, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, established AccuWeather in 1962 and is considered the "father of modern commercial meteorology." Dr. Myers, a leading creative thinker and visionary, has been named "the most accurate man in weather" by The New York Times and one of the top entrepreneurs in American history by Entrepreneur's Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurs.

AccuWeather™, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature Scale, AccuWeather RealImpact™, AccuWeather RI™, AccuWeather MinuteCast®, Minute by Minute™ and Superior Accuracy™ are all trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc.

The AccuWeather app for Android phone and tablet users is free at the Google Play store. The AccuWeather iOS app is free at www.AppStore.com. Visit accuweather.com for additional information.

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