{{Short description|Online security organization}} {{Infobox organization |logo=Botlab_logo.png |formation={{Start date and age|2015|03|30}} |type=501(c)(3) nonprofit organization |purpose=research and development related to ad fraud, user rights violations and other malicious practices in the advertising technology supply-chain. |key_people=Mikko Kotila, Amit Phansalkar |founding_location=Helsinki, Boston |website={{url|http://www.botlab.io}}}}
'''Botlab''' (previously known as botlab.io) is a non-profit, volunteer based research foundation focused on research, publication and open-source development related with ad fraud, malvertising, privacy violations and other malicious practices in the advertising supported internet.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://botlab.io|title=leading source of insights and understanding about advertising fraud|newspaper=botlab.io|access-date=2017-01-07}}</ref> Botlab's global volunteer network works towards the goal of more transparent and more secure internet.
== Media Coverage == A paper authored by Botlab, ''Compendium of Ad Fraud Knowledge''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170109021028/http://www.wfanet.org/pdf/WFA_Compendium_Of_Ad_Fraud_Knowledge.pdf "Compendium of ad fraud knowledge for media investors"] (PDF). ''[https://innowise.com/ Innowise]''. Archived from [http://www.wfanet.org/pdf/WFA_Compendium_Of_Ad_Fraud_Knowledge.pdf the original] (PDF) on 2017-01-09.</ref> has been widely covered in the media<ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-06-06 |title=REPORT: Ad fraud is 'second only to the drugs trade' as a source of income for organized crime |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/wfa-report-ad-fraud-will-cost-advertisers-50-billion-by-2025-2016-6 |access-date=2017-01-09 |newspaper=Business Insider}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Shields |first=Ronan |date=2016-06-06 |title=WFA warns that ad fraud will hit $50bn a year by 2025 |url=http://www.thedrum.com/news/2016/06/06/wfa-warns-ad-fraud-will-hit-50bn-year-2025 |access-date=2017-01-09 |website=The Drum}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kulp |first=Patrick |date=2016-06-09 |title=Ad fraud could become the second biggest organized crime enterprise behind the drug trade |url=http://mashable.com/2016/06/09/ad-fraud-organized-crime/ |access-date=2017-01-09 |website=Mashable}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=McClellan |first=Steve |title=WFA: Without Changes, Ad Fraud May Reach $150 Billion Annually |url=http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/277324/wfa-without-changes-ad-fraud-may-reach-150-bill.html |access-date=2017-01-09 |website=www.mediapost.com}}</ref> including a Financial Times cover story.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/8e2f59c0-2b01-11e6-a18d-a96ab29e3c95|title='Endemic' fraud threatens digital advertising budgets|website=FT|access-date=2017-01-07}}</ref> The paper is a collaboration with World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), whose members collectively represent 90% of the world's US$700 advertising budgets. WFA published the paper as an official guideline document to its members<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wfanet.org/en/global-news/wfa-issues-first-advice-for-combatting-ad-fraud-|title=WFA issues first advice for combatting ad fraud. Global News|website=WFA|access-date=2017-01-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110085611/http://www.wfanet.org/en/global-news/wfa-issues-first-advice-for-combatting-ad-fraud-|archive-date=2017-01-10|url-status=dead}}</ref> for understanding and countering ad fraud.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WFA issues first advice for combatting ad fraud |url=http://www.wfanet.org/en/press/press-releases/wfa-issues-first-advice-for-combatting-ad-fraud-?p=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170108002913/http://www.wfanet.org/en/press/press-releases/wfa-issues-first-advice-for-combatting-ad-fraud-?p=1 |archive-date=2017-01-08 |access-date=2017-01-09 |website=WFA}}</ref>
Botlab researchers were featured in two additional Financial Times cover stories during 2015 and 2016<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/53ac3fd0-604e-11e5-a28b-50226830d644|title=Google charges for YouTube ads even when viewed by robots|date=2015-09-22|newspaper=Financial Times|access-date=2017-01-07 |last1=Cookson |first1=Robert}}</ref> one of which was ''Big Read'' <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/fb66c818-49a4-11e6-b387-64ab0a67014c|title=Digital advertising: Brands versus bots|date=18 July 2016|newspaper=Financial Times|access-date=2017-01-07 |last1=Cookson |first1=Robert}}</ref>'','' a major editorial piece of the week in Financial Times print. In addition Botlab's work and commentary have been widely featured in ad industry press,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.exchangewire.com/tradertalk/2015/05/14/mikko-kotila-discuss-the-ad-fraud-eco-system-and-what-the-industry-can-do-to-address-the-problem/|title=Mikko Kotila Discuss the Ad Fraud Ecosystem & What the Industry Can Do to Address the Problem|website=ExchangeWire.com|access-date=2017-01-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kampanje.com/markedsforing/2015/10/-annonsesvindelen-vil-eksplodere/|title=Annonsesvindelen vil eksplodere|last=Nyman|first=Hilde|website=kampanje.com|access-date=2017-01-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thedrum.com/news/2016/06/10/major-intervention-advertisers-needed-deal-fraud|title='Major intervention from advertisers is needed to deal with fraud'|website=The Drum|access-date=2017-01-09}}</ref> events and social media.
== Research == During 2016 Botlab's ''Ad Fraud Council'' was the author of World Federation of Advertisers guidance on ad fraud to its members titled ''Compendium of Ad Fraud Knowledge.'' Botlab also contributed as co-author to ''Independent auditing of online display advertising campaigns,'' a research paper accepted to Hotnets academic conference in 2016<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://conferences.sigcomm.org/hotnets/2016/hotnets16-papers.html|title=HotNets 2016: Home Page|website=conferences.sigcomm.org|access-date=2017-01-07}}</ref> and was a major contributor in ''Entropy Method for Detecting Invalid Traffic at Scale'',<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170110160737/http://www.it.uc3m.es/rcuevas/techreports/entropy_method.pdf "Entropy Method for Detecting Invalid Traffic at Scale"] (PDF). ''[https://innowise.com/ Innowise]''. Archived from [http://www.it.uc3m.es/rcuevas/techreports/entropy_method.pdf the original] (PDF) on 2017-01-10.</ref> a paper introducing an open source method for large scale detection of invalid traffic.
== Open Source Contributions == During 2015 and 2016 Botlab made available three open source solutions focused on detection and prevention of advertising fraud: * '''Denylist''' - a blacklist consisting of over 130 million data center IP addresses<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://github.com/botlabio/deny-hosting-IP|title=botlabio/deny-hosting-IP|website=GitHub|access-date=2017-01-07}}</ref> * '''Sitemind''' - a site research tool for researchers and media planners to counter ad fraud <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://github.com/SiteMindOpen/SiteMind/blob/master/docs/index.rst|title=SiteMindOpen/SiteMind|website=GitHub|access-date=2017-01-07}}</ref> * '''Nameles''' - an entropy based detection and filtering solution to counter ad fraud <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nameles.org|title=NAMELES – open source ad fraud detection|website=nameles.org|access-date=2017-01-07}}</ref>
== Collaboration with Trade associations == In addition to being listed as one of the partners<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.project-reconnect.com/partners/|title=Towards better marketing|website=Project Reconnect|access-date=2017-01-09}}</ref> by World Federation of Advertisers, since Botlab's founding in early 2015 its Principal Mikko Kotila acted as the co-chair for I-COM's Data science Board,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Data Science Board |url=http://www.i-com.org/data-science-board/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707024650/http://www.i-com.org/data-science-board/ |archive-date=2018-07-07 |access-date=2017-01-09 |website=I-COM}}</ref> I-COM is a global trade body backed by 100 associations in 40 countries,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.i-com.org/who-we-are/|title=Who we are|website=I-COM|access-date=2017-01-09}}</ref> today, exploring the creation of business value from Marketing Data & Measurement.
== References == {{Reflist}}
Category:Cybercrime Category:2015 establishments in the United States Category:2015 establishments in Finland Category:Non-profit organisations based in Finland Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States