“…88% of digital ad clicks are fake.” The complexity of the digital advertising industry makes it a lucrative target for fraud, says Scott Galloway. Despite publishers’ promises, many ads don’t make it to actual human eyes, and those that do are likely to be irrelevant (and therefore ineffective) to the audience. Newsweek Media Group, among other businesses, has been found to inflate their ads’ performance by compromising their fraud-detection system to generate more bot traffic to its sites, raking in more money from unsuspecting companies looking to advertise. Read full article here
Societal Issues
To curb drug deaths, communities turn to Reddit, texts and wastewater
With drug overdose deaths on the rise, authorities are attempting to curb the epidemic by tracking and sharing information in real time. In one unique effort, a nonprofit in New York City is using drug-testing equipment and stamping or marking habits of dealers to identify drug batches that may endanger users. Other approaches are also being used, such as monitoring drug-related chatter on Reddit and analyzing local wastewater for opioid and other drug levels. With the combination of these efforts, researchers hope to put a dent in the opioid crisis and reduce overdose deaths. Read full article here
Merv
June 1, 2023
