# Botlab

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{{Short description|Online security organization}}
{{Infobox organization
|logo=Botlab_logo.png
|formation={{Start date and age|2015|03|30}}
|type=[501(c)(3)](/source/501(c)_organization) [nonprofit organization](/source/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](/source/Helsinki), [Boston](/source/Boston)
|website={{url|http://www.botlab.io}}}}

'''Botlab''' (previously known as botlab.io) is a [non-profit](/source/Nonprofit_organization), volunteer based research foundation focused on research, publication and open-source development related with [ad fraud](/source/ad_fraud), [malvertising](/source/malvertising), [privacy violations](/source/Privacy) 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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/SIGCOMM) [academic conference](/source/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](/source/Blacklist_(computing)) consisting of over 130 million [data center](/source/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](/source/Media_planning) 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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/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

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Botlab](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botlab) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botlab?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.