{"id":331692,"date":"2024-09-24T13:38:28","date_gmt":"2024-09-24T13:38:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/integralads.com\/?p=331692"},"modified":"2025-06-05T17:55:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T17:55:56","slug":"misinformation-measurement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/integralads.com\/insider\/misinformation-measurement\/","title":{"rendered":"How Marketers Can Tackle Misinformation Across the Open Web & Social Media Channels with Industry-Leading Measurement"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Why is everyone talking about misinformation?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Misinformation<\/span><\/span><\/a> isn\u2019t a new problem in media. Exaggerated and completely fabricated stories have existed for centuries. But this year, digital media experts named \u201cads delivering near misinformation\u201d as their <\/span>top concern<\/span><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

So why is it such a hot topic right now?<\/span><\/p>

We\u2019re in the midst of a global election year, with voters in more than <\/span>60 countries<\/span><\/a><\/span> heading to the polls in the coming months. Elections, and the flurry of news coverage they bring, lead to an influx of consumers spending more time with digital media. More consumers online means more opportunities for brands to be seen, but it\u2019s crucial for brands to appear in the right places \u2014 after all, three-quarters of consumers say they <\/span>feel less favorably<\/span><\/span><\/a> toward brands that advertise on sites that spread misinformation.<\/span><\/p>

Plus, the rise of generative AI in digital media has marketers worrying that it may play a hand in expediting the creation and dissemination of misinformation across the open web and social channels. In fact, some experts claim that as much as 90% of <\/span>online\u00a0content<\/span><\/a><\/span> could be AI-generated by 2026.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Three major misinformation challenges<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Misinformation has evolved over years. Today, marketers face three main challenges when it comes to misinformation on the open web and social media. These challenges exist in both generative AI and election-related content \u2014 and far beyond.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

  1. Fact checking: <\/b>Fact checking has been a critical best practice in media for some time, and it\u2019s more important than ever in the presence of increasing misinformation. But it requires effort and expertise from real humans, which can be time consuming and resource depleting when not accompanied by trained AI models.<\/span><\/li>
  2. Dynamic changes:<\/b> Marketers are navigating new narratives that emerge every day across platforms. This revolving door of content can lead to reputation risk for brands if not monitored correctly and in real-time.<\/span><\/li>
  3. Nuanced classification: <\/b>User-generated content (UGC) is incredibly nuanced. Given the range of content on the open web and social media \u2014 whether it be educational, comedic, sarcastic, or even violent \u2014 varied tone in UGC is a major challenge for marketers to accurately identify.<\/span><\/li><\/ol>

    So how can advertisers overcome these challenges to detect and dodge misinformation with precision \u2014 and <\/span>without limiting scale?<\/b><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    The importance of independent partnerships when tackling misinformation<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    One of the most critical components of misinformation measurement are the independent, third-party partnerships that set the parameters for what content is considered misinformation. Our misinformation capability on both the open web and social media is informed by <\/span>the <\/span>Global Disinformation Index<\/a><\/span><\/span> (GDI) and an international fact checking network that enables misinformation categorization at scale, aligned with industry standards.<\/span><\/p>

    Since 2021, we\u2019ve partnered with GDI to help brands avoid misinformation, ensuring journalistic integrity and reaffirming <\/span>support for quality news sites<\/b>. Once IAS assesses which sites have strong correlations to sources of misinformation, GDI then evaluates the page to determine if it qualifies as misinformation or not, according to their proprietary methodology. In addition, GDI shares their list of organically detected domains for inclusion in our misinformation measurement capability. This unique combination of AI <\/span>and<\/span><\/i> manual review allows IAS to protect advertisers from risky content at scale. Our partnership with GDI builds on IAS\u2019s expertise in brand safety and suitability, allowing us to align with a trusted, transparent, and independent industry body to identify any domains associated with misinformation.<\/span><\/p>

    Our misinformation analysis methodology, which we apply across both open web and social media channels, was trained and re-trained with always-on third-party data, and continues to evolve to include viral misinformation narratives and claims \u2014 meaning our misinformation methodology is<\/span> always up to date with the latest misinformation narratives in market<\/b>. With all of these signals, it\u2019s important to note that IAS remains a neutral party.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Detecting misinformation across the open web<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    The internet is a big place. We\u2019re talking <\/span>billions of pages<\/span><\/a><\/span> big. Hundreds of thousands of URLs are <\/span>created every day<\/span><\/a><\/span>, meaning new sources of misinformation can pop up at any time. The sheer amount of URLs created daily coupled with the automated nature of programmatic advertising can make it challenging for brands to completely avoid appearing on sites that publish misinformation.<\/span><\/p>

    Misinformation measurement across the open web is vital for advertisers to understand if their brand is protected during an election season. Most misinformation measurement solutions, however, rely solely on human review of URL lists. The issue with that is clear \u2014 it\u2019s simply impossible for humans to be the only source of misinformation detection and do so accurately.<\/span><\/p>

    The single most scalable and efficient way to identify misinformation on the open web is through a combination of <\/span>AI, human, and independent, third-party review<\/b>, and IAS\u2019s misinformation measurement is the industry\u2019s most scientific and scalable solution. Our enhanced misinformation detection leverages trusted and safe AI and goes far beyond human-only review to detect emerging threats by determining which sites have a strong correlation to other well known sources of misinformation. Plus, our partnerships with organizations like GDI allow for trusted, transparent misinformation categorization that continues to evolve to bring the most sophisticated brand safety and suitability capability to market.<\/span><\/p>

    And we don\u2019t stop there.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Identifying misinformation across social platforms<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Social media is also at the forefront of advertisers\u2019 minds as we approach global elections \u2014 and understandably so. With tens of thousands of thoughts, photos, and videos making their way to social media <\/span>every second<\/span><\/a><\/span>, it\u2019s incredibly difficult for brands to gauge what their ads will show up next to.<\/span><\/p>

    Advertisers should look to independent solutions that help cut through the abundance of content and variability of social media. Without knowing where they\u2019re appearing on the feed, brands risk appearing near content that spreads false narratives and masquerades fabricated content as real news.<\/span><\/p>

    IAS\u2019s Brand Safety and Suitability measurement is the <\/span>most effective way for advertisers to safeguard and scale<\/b> their brand on social media during a major election year. Powered by AI-driven Multimedia Technology,* our solutions use frame-by-frame video analysis and speech-to-text conversion to analyze thousands of signals per video and identify misinformation with accuracy. IAS\u2019s misinformation methodology has the advantage our 3+ years of experience analyzing open web misinformation data. This extensive training allows IAS to analyze the tone of content with precision \u2014 whether it be satire, sarcasm, educational, or fear-mongering \u2014 for the most accurate categorization of misinformation on the feed.<\/span><\/p>

    Our Brand Safety and Suitability measurement product includes the industry-standard 12th category for misinformation on select platforms and is consistent with the industry framework. With third-party transparency into ad adjacency, advertisers can now measure and take steps to avoid running alongside misinformation. Combining our Multimedia Technology with trusted third-party misinformation assessment providers creates a <\/span>market-leading misinformation methodology<\/b> that more accurately identifies misinformation at scale.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"IAS-Misinformation-Methodology-Graphic\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    In addition, IAS\u2019s AI-driven Brand Safety and Suitability measurement is available on the <\/span>world\u2019s largest and most widely used<\/span><\/span><\/a> social media platforms. Through these <\/span>global <\/span><\/span>partnerships<\/span><\/span><\/a>, IAS not only enables advertisers to verify the safety and suitability of their digital media investments, but ensures advertisers\u2019 campaigns aren\u2019t running adjacent to industry-aligned misinformation content across social platforms.<\/span><\/p>

    IAS\u2019s Brand Safety and Suitability measurement across major social media platforms offers greater assurance and control over the topics of posts and content that a brand\u2019s ads run alongside, providing coverage where it matters most \u2014 especially during an election year.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    How can misinformation be avoided?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Advertisers have traditionally turned to keyword blocking in an attempt to avoid appearing near words and phrases that don\u2019t align with their brand \u2014 but this <\/span>outdated approach<\/span><\/span><\/a> doesn\u2019t cut it anymore.<\/span><\/p>

    Keyword blocking doesn\u2019t take into account the context, sentiment, or emotion of a given webpage. Without an understanding of the true intention behind a piece of content, brands miss out on reach and block diverse content, diverse content creators, or other information that consumers seek out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

    While measurement gives transparency needed to <\/span>detect<\/span><\/i> misinformation, advertisers can go even further to <\/span>avoid<\/span><\/i> misinformation with more accuracy and scalability than keyword blocking. Products like IAS\u2019s Context Control Avoidance helps advertisers actively <\/span>avoid sources of and topics about misinformation<\/b> on the open web while still providing the opportunity for expanded reach. Context Control Avoidance technology leverages IAS\u2019s semantic intelligence engine, which advertisers can then use to exclude not only the sources identified as misinformation, but all content relating to misinformation, fake news, and conspiracy theories.<\/span><\/p>

    Only IAS offers the ability to choose from industry-defined risk levels and media types, like entertainment, politics, news, and more, to give advertisers a tailored approach to avoiding harmful misinformation that still allows for scale and support for quality journalism.<\/span><\/p>

    Additionally, Brand Safety and Suitability measurement through our flagship Total Media Quality product suite on social platforms can inform advertisers\u2019 suitability strategies. While the approach varies by platform due to tools available, brands can identify trends and optimize away from misinformation with granular reporting insights.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Here\u2019s how brands can avoid misinformation as a result of misinformation measurement on social:\n\n<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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