Mobile app security startup GeoEdge releases a new solution to block malicious and inappropriate ads in real time within the in-app environment

Mobile advertising-based malware is on the rise. Despite a decrease in mobile threats in 2018, advertising-based malware on mobile devices increased by 49 percent, and just last week, just last week, researchers at security provider Trend Micro discovered 85 different apps pushing adware to unsuspecting Android users. The biggest surprise is, the majority of malicious and sexually-offensive ads discovered over the last six months were on iOS and not Android, according to data from GeoEdge’s real-time blocking. This means that its going to be difficult for advertisers and mobile developers alike to keep up with the growing malware threats without the right security tools.

To address the growing challenges of malicious and sexually-offensive in-app ads, GeoEdge, the provider of ad security and verification solutions for the digital advertising ecosystem, released today its solution for in-app real-time blocking of malicious and inappropriate ads. GeoEdge is the first company to market with real-time ad security and quality solution for mediation SDKs, as a part of its mission to block sexually-offensive and/or malicious ads to ensure good user experience and high retention rates for app developers and publishers

Founded in 2010 by a team that has over two decades of hands-on technical and on-line media experience, GeoEdge is a provider of ad security and verification solutions for the online ‎and mobile advertising ecosystem. It primary focus is to protect publishers’ audiences from malicious and bad ads in the programmatic ecosystem. They monitor your ad inventory 24/7 to detect and block any malicious activity and quality issues in real-time, long before any damage can occur. Only clean ads are served and your users are never exposed to security or quality threats. GeoEdge guards against malware (malvertising), non-‎compliance, inappropriate content, data leakage, operational, and performance ‎issues.‎ Leading publishers, ad platforms, exchanges, and networks rely on GeoEdge’s ‎automated ad verification solutions to ‎monitor and protect their ad inventory.

With eMarketer estimating that more than four-fifths of mobile display and video ad dollars also already flowing through programmatic channels and two-thirds of programmatic ad budgets will go towards mobile next year (of which 90% will be bought programmatically), and with in-app growing much faster than the mobile web, publishers and app developers need to provide their users with the same protection and security on mobile that is provided on desktop. The digital industry has already seen advances like header bidding and Ads.txt expand into mobile environments. However, up until now, security and ad quality in mobile have lagged behind the standards that have become customary on desktop.

Using the same proprietary, patent-pending technology that powers GeoEdge’s widely adopted solutions for the broader web, it detects security issues, inappropriate and sexually-offensive ad creative, and user experience issues at the pre-impression level delivered by any of the major mediator SDKs. The tool blocks the bad ad before it renders, and replaces it with an alternate ad already verified as safe and appropriate. This allows publishers to protect their users without losing the revenue they rely on for the future of their business. GeoEdge technology identifies issues ranging from redirects, drive-by downloads, viruses, and malicious files; to adult content, pop-ups, and device vibrations. GeoEdge is unique among ad security and quality vendors in its ability to identify and block inappropriate ad creative in real-time, rather than just identifying the security risks.

Since poor-quality ads increase a site’s bounce rate and lead to churn among a publisher’s or app developer’s users, preserving the integrity of the in-app ad experience, publishers can more easily nurture their audiences, and provide them with quality, relevant content. Trusted and safe in-app environments promote loyalty, increase the lifetime value of the user, and drive greater overall revenue for the publisher and app developer.

GeoEdge presents developers with a mobile SDK that they can integrate directly into the app. It provides, via a web-based console, full reports on all activity the technology observes in the app environment. It also provides a BI view of data that can be visualized at the demand-source level.
This SDK solution is the logical next step in GeoEdge’s long-standing mission to preserve user experience and to allow publishers to combat bad ads proactively. “By offering a Mediation SDK integrated with Real-Time Blocking, GeoEdge is taming mobile malicious and offensive ads and content by replacing the offending ads and content with safe ones, ensuring the revenue stream for app developers and a safe experience for users,” said Amnon Siev, CEO of GeoEdge.

GeoEdge enables the supply side to focus on publishing. The company handles malicious and unsafe advertising so that publishers, app developers, and supply-side clients can focus on optimizing their advertiser campaigns and provide better and more effective relations with their clients in the time saved. GeoEdge enabled clients to find a 90-95% reduction in complaints through the elimination of offensive and malicious ads and gain full transparency and visibility of their entire ad inventory beyond the blocked malicious ads enabling better management of each partner’s brand safety needs.