Combating false information with crowdsourcing
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for combating false advertising using crowdsourcing. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a false digital component alert indicating that a digital component presented at a client device includes false information, validating the false digital component alert based on a public key to verify digital signature included in the false digital component alert matching the public key of stored attestation tokens specifying presentation and interaction data for the digital component. In response, adding the false digital component alert to an aggregated report. Based on a false alert ratio, determining that a magnitude of validated false digital component alerts in the aggregated report meets a threshold, and triggering a false digital component mitigation response including providing a false information warning with the false digital component to one or more client devices or digital component provider.
1. A method performed by one or more servers, the method comprising:
receiving, by one or more servers, a partially or fully encrypted false digital component alert indicating that a digital component presented at a client device includes false information;
decrypting, by the one or more servers, the partially or fully encrypted false digital component alert;
comparing, by the one or more servers, presentation and interaction data included in the false digital component alert with presentation and interaction data of one or more stored digitally signed and stored attestation tokens, wherein the stored attestation tokens comprise a plurality of impression attestation tokens for a plurality of presentations of the digital component, and a plurality of click attestation tokens, each click token corresponding to a particular impression attestation token of the plurality of impression attestation tokens;
determining, by the one or more servers, that the false digital component alert is responsive to an actual presentation of the digital component by comparing a public key, received from the client device, for the false digital component alert to a public key of the one or more digitally signed and stored attestation tokens;
validating, by the one or more servers, the false digital component alert based on (i) the comparison of the presentation and interaction data resulting in a match and (ii) the determination that the false digital component alert is responsive to an actual presentation of the digital component, wherein validating the false digital component alert comprises determining the false digital component alert includes a particular impression attestation token and a corresponding particular click attestation token from among the stored attestation tokens;
in response to validating the false digital component alert, adding the false digital component alert to an aggregated report for the digital component;
generating, by the one or more servers, a false alert ratio based on a number of validated false digital component alerts (i) collected from multiple different client devices and (ii) included in the aggregated report relative to a total number of presentations of the digital component;
determining, by the one or more servers based on the false alert ratio, that a magnitude of validated false digital component alerts in the aggregated report for the digital component meets a threshold; and
adjusting, by the one or more servers, distribution of the digital component to client devices based on the magnitude of the validated false digital component alerts meeting the threshold.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising causing presentation of a false information warning with the digital component to one or more client devices or a digital component provider.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting distribution of the digital component comprises reducing or halting distribution of the digital component.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the reducing or halting distribution of the digital component is performed by a browser, an application or an operating system of the client device.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting distribution of the digital component to client devices comprises:
reducing or halting distribution of the digital component by a browser, an application or an operating system of another client device.
6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising preventing output of the false digital component on the another client device.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein each impression attestation token of the plurality of impression attestation tokens comprises i) a campaign ID, ii) a date/time of presentation, and iii) a uniform resource locator for a landing page linked to by a particular digital component, a phone number for a publisher of the particular digital component, or an address or geo-fencing associated with location of a store for the publisher of the particular digital component.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein each click attestation token of the plurality of click attestation tokens comprises a conversion confirmation of a user action performed in response to the presentation of the digital component.
9. The method of claim 2 , wherein causing presentation of the false information warning to one or more client devices with the digital component comprises causing presentation of a visual signal with the digital component on a client device.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein causing presentation of the visual signal comprises causing presentation of a user interface element that is configured to prevent the client device from (i) proceeding to a landing page defined by the digital component, proceeding to dial a phone number defined by the digital component, or proceeding to locate a location defined by the digital component.
11. The method of claim 2 , wherein causing presentation of the false information warning comprises causing presentation of a validated false digital component report to a publisher of the digital component.
12. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the computer program comprising instructions that when executed by a data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform a process comprising:
receiving a partially or fully encrypted false digital component alert indicating that a digital component presented at a client device includes false information;
decrypting the partially or fully encrypted false digital component alert;
comparing presentation and interaction data included in the false digital component alert with presentation and interaction data of one or more stored digitally signed and stored attestation tokens, wherein the stored attestation tokens comprise a plurality of impression attestation tokens for a plurality of presentations of the digital component, and a plurality of click attestation tokens, each click token corresponding to a particular impression attestation token of the plurality of impression attestation tokens;
determining that the false digital component alert is responsive to an actual presentation of the digital component by comparing a public key, received from the client device, for the false digital component alert to a public key of the one or more digitally signed and stored attestation tokens;
validating the false digital component alert based on (i) the comparison of the presentation and interaction data resulting in a match and (ii) the determination that the false digital component alert is responsive to an actual presentation of the digital component, wherein validating the false digital component alert comprises determining the false digital component alert includes a particular impression attestation token and a corresponding particular click attestation token from among the stored attestation tokens;
in response to validating the false digital component alert, adding the false digital component alert to an aggregated report for the digital component;
generating a false alert ratio based on a number of validated false digital component alerts (i) collected from multiple different client devices and (ii) included in the aggregated report relative to a total number of presentations of the digital component;
determining, based on the false alert ratio, that a magnitude of validated false digital component alerts in the aggregated report for the digital component meets a threshold; and
adjusting distribution of the digital component to client devices based on the magnitude of the validated false digital component alerts meeting the threshold.
13. A system comprising:
a client device; and
one or more servers configured and operable to interact with the client device and to perform operations comprising:
receiving a partially or fully encrypted false digital component alert indicating that a digital component presented at the client device includes false information;
decrypting the partially or fully encrypted false digital component alert;
comparing presentation and interaction data included in the false digital component alert with presentation and interaction data of one or more stored digitally signed and stored attestation tokens, wherein the stored attestation tokens comprise a plurality of impression attestation tokens for a plurality of presentations of the digital component, and a plurality of click attestation tokens, each click token corresponding to a particular impression attestation token of the plurality of impression attestation tokens;
determining that the false digital component alert is responsive to an actual presentation of the digital component by comparing a public key, received from the client device, for the false digital component alert to a public key of the one or more digitally signed and stored attestation tokens;
validating the false digital component alert based on (i) the comparison of the presentation and interaction data resulting in a match and (ii) the determination that the false digital component alert is responsive to an actual presentation of the digital component, wherein validating the false digital component alert comprises
determining the false digital component alert includes a particular impression attestation token and a corresponding particular click attestation token from among the stored attestation tokens;
in response to validating the false digital component alert, adding the false digital component alert to an aggregated report for the digital component;
generating a false alert ratio based on a number of validated false digital component alerts (i) collected from multiple different client devices and (ii) included in the aggregated report relative to a total number of presentations of the digital component;
determining, based on the false alert ratio, that a magnitude of validated false digital component alerts in the aggregated report for the digital component meets a threshold; and
adjusting distribution of the digital component to client devices based on the magnitude of the validated false digital component alerts meeting the threshold.