Independent Validations Skyrocket by 243% on Rising Marketplace Demand for Third-Party Verification of Compliance

WASHINGTON, DC – March 9, 2021 – The Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG), the world’s leading program to fight criminal activity and protect brand safety in digital advertising, today announced that the number of certification seals held by companies soared by 87% over the same points in 2020, as companies worldwide required their supply chain partners to comply with TAG’s Certified Against Fraud, Certified Against Piracy, Certified Against Malware, and Brand Safety Certified Programs. Companies also increasingly looked to third-party auditors to verify their compliance, with independent validations rising 243% in the last year.

At the conclusion of the 2021 recertification process, 224 companies had undertaken the rigorous evaluations necessary to achieve a total of 308 TAG seals, a 79% jump over the 125 companies that recertified 165 seals in 2020. Of the recertified seals, well over half - 59% - were awarded via an independent validation process rather than self-certification, an increase from 34% a year ago.

“In a year of wrenching dislocation and rising criminal activity, the world’s leading digital advertising companies looked to TAG standards for stability, continuity, and protection, and they demanded their supply chain partners set the same high bar,’” said Mike Zaneis, CEO of TAG. “This was a tipping point year in which the TAG seals became prerequisites for doing business in nearly every global market and sector of the industry. We plan to build on this year’s momentum by raising our standards and expanding our global reach even further to block bad actors and build a brand safe ecosystem for all advertisers.”

Companies whose TAG Seals have been recertified for 2021 include:

In addition to the individual seal awards, a record 12 companies achieved TAG Platinum status, in which they have successfully earned all four of TAG’s certification seals – a 50% increase in Platinum companies from 2020. Those companies are ebay, Google, Index Exchange, Iponweb, Kroger, OpenX, Publicis Media, RhythmOne, SpotX, Sovrn, Unruly, and xandr.

“The remarkable success of TAG’s certification programs rests on the active participation of hundreds of member companies, who have worked with TAG to strengthen and adapt our standards each year while taking the rigorous steps needed to turn those standards into practice across the industry,” said Todd Miller, Director of Compliance at TAG. “We are delighted at the increasing ubiquity of TAG’s programs, but even more heartened by the worldwide evidence of the effectiveness of such programs, including a greater than 90% fraud reduction in TAG Certified Channels in every market studied.”

As TAG has become recognized as the leading global standards program around criminal activity and brand safety, an increasing number of companies have opted to certify their global operations. In 2021, 40% of companies achieved such global certifications – up from 32% in the prior year.

More information regarding recertified companies is available by searching company name or each company’s unique TAG-ID via the TAG Registry. Additional information includes the specific seals awarded to each company, valid terms for each seal, and whether the seals were based on self-attestation or independent validation.

Additional information about TAG’s programs and the application process for TAG Registration and TAG’s seal programs are available at www.tagtoday.net.  

About the Trustworthy Accountability Group

The Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) is the leading global certification program fighting criminal activity and increasing trust in the digital advertising industry. Created by the industry’s top trade organizations, TAG’s mission is to eliminate fraudulent traffic, combat malware, prevent Internet piracy, and promote greater transparency in digital advertising. TAG advances those initiatives by bringing companies across the digital advertising supply chain together to set the highest standards. TAG is the first and only registered Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (ISAO) for the digital advertising industry. For more information on TAG, please visit tagtoday.net.