Publisher tool for controlling sponsored content quality across mediation platforms

1. A method executing on a data processing system including one or more processors, comprising:

providing mediation code to a publisher for inclusion in publisher content provided for display on a user device, the mediation code when executed by the user device, causing the user device to (i) control display of sponsored content items using a table of sponsored content networks maintained by the data processing system and specific to the publisher, (ii) allow the user device to flag at least one sponsored content item, and (iii) capture, responsive to the user device flagging a sponsored content item, an image of the sponsored content item and transmitting to the data processing system the image of the sponsored content item and a sponsored content network identifier indicative of a sponsored content network providing the sponsored content item;

receiving the image of the sponsored content item flagged by the user device and the sponsored content network identifier from the user device;

analyzing the image of the sponsored content item by (1) extracting image objects from the image, and (2) comparing image objects stored in a database to the extracted image objects from the image to find matching image objects in the database;

categorizing, responsive to finding matching image objects in the database, the sponsored content item based on the matching image objects found in the database and the sponsored content network identifier by associating one or more categories with the sponsored content item and the sponsored content network identifier;

receiving an instruction to filter the sponsored content networks exceeding a metric based on a category of respective sponsored content items, the instruction comprising the metric and associated with the publisher; and

updating, based on the one or more categories associated with the sponsored content item and the sponsored content network identifier, the table of sponsored content networks maintained by the data processing system to remove the sponsored content network providing the sponsored content item flagged by the user device, the sponsored content network exceeding the metric based on the one or more categories associated with the sponsored content item, and the user device to use the updated table of sponsored content networks to prevent serving of sponsored content items from the sponsored content network to the user device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein execution of the mediation code causes the user device to control which of the sponsored content networks are sent requests for sponsored content items.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the image further comprises:

extracting text from the image using optical character recognition; and

categorizing the sponsored content item further based on the extracted text.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the image further comprises:

extracting features from the image;

comparing feature templates stored in the database to the extracted features from the image to find matching templates; and

categorizing the sponsored content item further based on the matching templates.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein categorizing the sponsored content item further comprises using a classification tree based on image features obtained from the extracted image data.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

providing a user interface to the publisher; and

wherein, the instruction to filter the sponsored content networks is received via the user interface.

7. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory that is operatively coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores first instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

provide mediation code to a publisher for inclusion in publisher content provided for display on a user device, the mediation code, when executed by the user device, causing the user device to (i) control display of sponsored content items using a table of sponsored content networks maintained by the system and specific to the publisher, (ii) allow the user device to flag at least one sponsored content item, and (iii) capture, responsive to the user device flagging a sponsored content item, an image of the sponsored content item and transmitting to the system the image of the sponsored content item and a sponsored content network identifier indicative of a sponsored content network providing the sponsored content item;

receive the image of the sponsored content item flagged by the user device and the sponsored content network identifier from the user device;

analyze the image of the sponsored content item by (1) extracting image objects from the image, and (2) comparing image objects stored in a database to the extracted image objects from the image to find matching image objects in the database;

categorize, responsive to finding matching image objects in the database, the sponsored content item based on the matching image objects found in the database data and the sponsored content network identifier by associating one or more categories with the sponsored content item and the sponsored content network identifier;

receive an instruction to filter the sponsored content networks exceeding a metric based on a category of respective sponsored content items, the instruction comprising the metric and associated with the publisher; and

update, based on the one or more categories associated with the sponsored content item and the sponsored content network identifier, the table of sponsored content networks maintained by the system to remove the sponsored content network providing the sponsored content item flagged by the user device, the sponsored content network exceeding the metric based on the one or more categories associated with the sponsored content item, and the user device to use the updated table of sponsored content networks to prevent serving of sponsored content items from the sponsored content network to the user device.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein execution of the mediation code causes the user device to control which of the sponsored content networks are sent requests for sponsored content items.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the first instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

analyze the image comprising extracting text from the image using optical character recognition; and

categorize the sponsored content item further based on the extracted text.

10. The system of claim 7 , further comprising:

a database configured to store feature templates associated with images; and

wherein the first instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to:

extract features from the image; and

compare the stored feature templates to the extracted features from the image to find matching templates; and

categorize the sponsored content item further based on the matching templates.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein the first instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to, in categorizing the sponsored content item, use a classification tree based on image features obtained from the extracted image data.

12. The system of claim 7 , comprising further instructions to:

provide a user interface to the publisher; and

wherein, the instruction to filter the sponsored content networks is received via the user interface.

13. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing first instructions that are executable by one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising:

providing mediation code to a publisher for inclusion in publisher content provided for display on a user device, the mediation code, when executed by the user device, causing the user device to (i) control display of sponsored content items using a table of sponsored content networks maintained by the one or more processing devices and specific to the publisher, (ii) allow the user device to flag at least one sponsored content item, and (iii) capture, responsive to the user device flagging a sponsored content item, an image of the sponsored content item and transmitting to the one or more processing devices the image of the sponsored content item and a sponsored content network identifier indicative of a sponsored content network providing the sponsored content item;

receiving the image of the sponsored content item flagged by the user device and the sponsored content network identifier from the user device;

analyzing the image of the sponsored content item by (1) extracting image objects from the image, and (2) comparing image objects stored in a database to the extracted image objects from the image to find matching image objects in the database;

categorizing, responsive to finding matching image objects in the database, the sponsored content item based on the matching image objects found in the database and the sponsored content network identifier by associating one or more categories with the sponsored content item and the sponsored content network identifier;

receiving an instruction to filter the sponsored content networks exceeding a metric based on a category of respective sponsored content items, the instruction comprising the metric and associated with the publisher; and

updating, based on the one or more categories associated with the sponsored content item and the sponsored content network identifier, the table of sponsored content networks maintained by the data one or more processing devices to remove the sponsored content network providing the sponsored content item flagged by the user device, the sponsored content network exceeding the metric based on the one or more categories associated with the sponsored content item, and the user device to use the updated table of sponsored content networks to prevent serving of sponsored content items from the sponsored content network to the user device.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 13 , wherein execution of the mediation code causes the user device to control which of the sponsored content networks are sent requests for sponsored content items.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 13 , wherein analyzing the image further comprises:

extracting text from the image using optical character recognition; and

categorizing the sponsored content item further based on the extracted text.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 13 , wherein analyzing the image further comprises:

extracting features from the image;

comparing feature templates stored in a database to the extracted features from the image to find matching templates; and

categorizing the sponsored content item further based on the matching templates.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 13 , wherein categorizing the sponsored content item further comprises using a classification tree based on image features obtained from the extracted image data.