Fraud & Threat Model
Bot traffic, click farms and ghost views drain trust and distort metrics across the web.
Traditional platforms let fraud happen, then try to detect it. AdPriva prevents it at the root by requiring every interaction to be backed by cryptographic proofs.
Threats in Traditional Platforms
- Bot Traffic & Click Farms → fake views and clicks distort traffic metrics.
- Cookie Stuffing → cookies injected without consent, faking user activity.
- Pixel Spoofing → hidden or invisible elements trigger false views.
- Replay Attacks → clicks or views are replayed multiple times.
- Ghost Views → automated agents simulate views no human ever saw.
- Reporting Manipulation → black-box metrics allow inflated or altered reports.
AdPriva’s Defense Layers
Proof-Based Verification → every view or click must generate a cryptographic proof (with nonce, timestamp, expiry).
Human Activity Validation →
→ ViewProofs: viewport %, dwell time, tab focus.
→ ClickProofs: entropy + velocity checks to block bots.
Bounded-Use Proofs → engagement is recorded only within user-approved consent bounds → blocks unauthorized or non-consented capture.
Snapshots & Anchoring → daily Merkle-root snapshots sealed, periodically anchored on-chain.
Fraud Prevention in Action
Bot Farm Attack → bots generate fake clicks.
AdPriva: no valid ClickProofs → excluded before certification.Cookie Stuffing → cookies injected without consent.
AdPriva: no valid Consent Receipt → no proof, event rejected.
Ghost Views → automated agents simulate views.
AdPriva: no valid ViewProof (no viewport, dwell or focus) → excluded before certification.
Fraud Threat Matrix
| Threat | Traditional Platforms | AdPriva Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Bot Traffic / Click Farms | Fake traffic inflates metrics | ClickProofs + human validation (entropy, dwell, velocity) |
| Cookie Stuffing | Cookies injected without consent | Consent Receipts required → no consent = event rejected |
| Pixel Spoofing | Hidden/invisible elements faked | ViewProofs confirm visibility (viewport %, dwell) |
| Replay Attacks | Same click reused | Nonce + expiry → replays blocked |
| Ghost Views | Automated views with no human present | ViewProofs require live human signals (viewport, dwell, focus) |
| Reporting Manipulation | Black-box, unverifiable logs | Tamper-evident snapshots + on-chain anchoring |
Why This Matters
- Publishers → prove their traffic is genuine and fraud-free.
- Users → protected; only their consent drives engagement.
- Auditors & Regulators → get audit-ready cryptographic evidence.
With AdPriva, fraud isn’t just detected — it’s cryptographically excluded before traffic is ever certified.
{% @mermaid/diagram content="flowchart
A\[Engagement Event: View, Click]
B\[Proof Engine: Cryptographic Proofs]
C\[Human Validation: Dwell, Focus, Velocity]
D\[Bounded-Use Proofs: Consent Bounds]
F\[Snapshots & Anchoring: Merkle Root + On-chain]
G\[AdPriva Explorer: Public Audit]
A --> B
B --> C
C --> D
D --> F
F --> G" %}