Invalid traffic & fraud · also called MRC Invalid Traffic Detection and Filtration Guidelines
MRC IVT guidelines
The MRC IVT guidelines are the Media Rating Council's standards for detecting and filtering invalid traffic in ad measurement, defining the GIVT and SIVT categories that accredited measurers must handle.
The MRC is the US industry body that audits and accredits measurement. Its Invalid Traffic Detection and Filtration Guidelines Addendum, first issued in 2015 and updated in 2020 to cover mobile apps and OTT/CTV more fully, sets out how measurers should identify and remove invalid traffic.
Its key idea is the two-tier split. GIVT is traffic identifiable through routine means: lists, standardised parameter checks, known data center traffic, declared bots and spiders, non-browser user agents and pre-fetch activity. SIVT requires advanced analytics, multi-point corroboration and significant human intervention, and includes bots mimicking humans, hijacked devices, adware and malware, invalid proxy traffic, incentivized manipulation, falsified measurement events and domain or app misrepresentation.
The guidelines also cover process: filtering must be applied before reporting, IVT must be disclosed, measurers should analyse traffic continually and maintain documented procedures, and vendors must be clear about whether they are accredited for GIVT only or also SIVT. They underpin MRC accreditation and are referenced by TAG Certified Against Fraud and by buyer contracts worldwide.
Think of it like this
The MRC IVT guidelines are like the rulebook for football referees: they define what counts as a foul, which fouls a basic check can spot and which need video review.
An example
A verification vendor seeking MRC accreditation for SIVT in mobile apps must show auditors that it detects hijacked devices and app misrepresentation in-app, documents its methods and removes flagged traffic from reported impressions.
Related terms
GIVT (general invalid traffic)
GIVT (general invalid traffic) is invalid traffic that can be identified with routine, list-based or parameter-based filtration, such as known crawlers, data-center traffic and non-browser user agents.
SIVT (sophisticated invalid traffic)
SIVT (sophisticated invalid traffic) is invalid traffic designed to look human or legitimate, which can only be found through advanced analytics, multi-point corroboration and often human review.
MRC (Media Rating Council)
The MRC (Media Rating Council) is a US non-profit industry body that sets measurement standards and audits and accredits media measurement services, including viewability and invalid-traffic filtering.
MRC accreditation
MRC accreditation is the Media Rating Council's formal approval, after an independent audit, that a measurement service's specific metrics comply with industry standards.
Invalid traffic (IVT)
Invalid traffic (IVT) is any impression, click or visit not coming from a real person with a genuine chance to see the ad, whether caused by bots, fraud or error.
TAG Certified Against Fraud
TAG Certified Against Fraud is a certification from the Trustworthy Accountability Group for companies that meet anti-fraud requirements such as MRC-standard IVT filtering and supply-chain transparency.
Sources: MRC Invalid Traffic Detection and Filtration Guidelines Addendum (2020 update), MRC standards and guidelines, MRC accreditation