Fraud & invalid traffic · also called Media Rating Council
MRC (Media Rating Council)
The MRC is a US non-profit industry body that sets standards for media measurement, including invalid traffic, and audits and accredits the companies that measure it.
The Media Rating Council was established in 1963 at the request of the US Congress. It is a not-for-profit, self-regulatory body whose job is to make sure audience measurement is valid, reliable and effective. It writes minimum standards and runs audits, by independent accountants, of measurement services that apply for accreditation.
For anyone dealing with ad fraud its key document is the Invalid Traffic Detection and Filtration Standards Addendum, updated in June 2020. That document created the vocabulary the whole industry uses: GIVT for traffic caught by routine filters and SIVT for traffic needing advanced analysis. It also sets expectations for how measurers detect, filter and disclose invalid traffic.
The relevance to search arbitrage is indirect but real. Google states that its invalid-traffic detection is MRC accredited, and independent verification vendors seek the same accreditation. When a traffic-quality report says "SIVT", it is using the MRC's definition.
The MRC does not police publishers or arbitrageurs, issue fines or decide who gets a feed. It accredits the measurers. Enforcement comes from the platforms.
Think of it like this
It is the body that certifies the weighing scales in a market. It does not sell vegetables or punish traders, but everyone trusts the weights because of it.
Related terms
GIVT (general invalid traffic)
GIVT is invalid traffic that routine checks can catch, such as known crawlers, data-center addresses and browsers that declare themselves as automated.
SIVT (sophisticated invalid traffic)
SIVT is invalid traffic designed to look like real people, which can only be found with advanced analysis that compares many signals at once.
Invalid traffic (IVT)
Invalid traffic is any click, search or ad view that does not come from a real person with genuine interest, whether caused by bots, fraud or honest accident.
IVT detection
IVT detection is the set of methods used to tell real, interested visitors from bots, fraud and accidental activity, before or after an ad is clicked.
TAG certification
TAG certification is a seal from the Trustworthy Accountability Group showing that an advertising company meets its standards for fighting fraud and invalid traffic.
Sources: Media Rating Council, MRC Invalid Traffic Detection and Filtration Standards Addendum (June 2020 update), Google Ad Traffic Quality: invalid activity