Advertising only works when the interactions behind it are real. This policy explains how eFind identifies, prevents, and responds to Invalid Traffic and ad Fraud, and what we expect from Advertisers and Publishers. Our goal is simple: Advertisers should pay only for genuine engagement, Publishers should be paid fairly for legitimate inventory, and Users should never be harmed by manipulation of the systems that serve them Advertisements.
Trust is the currency of an advertising marketplace. An Advertiser trusts that a Click, an Impression, or a Conversion represents a real person taking a real action. A Publisher trusts that legitimate traffic to its Publisher Properties will be measured accurately and paid fairly. A User trusts that the systems delivering Advertisements are not being turned against them. Invalid Traffic breaks all three of those relationships at once. It charges Advertisers for value they never received, it exposes honest Publishers to unfair competition and reputational harm, and it can drag Users into schemes that waste their Devices, their bandwidth, and sometimes their money.
This policy sets out how eFind protects the integrity of that marketplace. It describes what Invalid Traffic is, the categories we recognize, the practices we prohibit, how we detect Invalid Traffic, and what happens when we find it. It is meant to be read alongside the Advertiser Agreement, the Publisher Agreement, and our product Policies, all of which incorporate this policy by reference. Where this policy uses a defined term, that term has the meaning given to it in the Master Definitions.
This policy applies across every part of the Services where Advertisements are requested, served, measured, or paid for. That includes search, display, video, and lead-generation advertising today, and it extends to future products such as Shopping, Commerce, connected-device, voice, and AI-powered advertising as they launch. It applies to all traffic sources, whether an interaction reaches the Services through a browser, a mobile application, an API, an embedded Ad Unit, or any other channel. It also applies to the measurement layer, including Conversion Tracking, attribution, and reporting, because manipulating measurement is as damaging as manipulating delivery.
Nothing in this policy limits eFind's rights or remedies under the Agreement or Applicable Law. Where this policy and an Agreement address the same subject, both apply together, and the Agreement controls if there is a direct conflict about the specific matter it governs.
This policy applies to every Advertiser and Publisher that uses the Services, to their Authorized Users, and to any agency, reseller, network partner, or contractor acting on their behalf. Account holders are responsible for the activity that occurs through their Accounts and for the conduct of anyone they permit to use the Services or whom they engage to drive traffic. Buying, selling, brokering, or knowingly benefiting from Invalid Traffic is a violation whether the Account holder created the traffic directly or obtained it from someone else.
Capitalized terms used in this document, such as Advertiser, Publisher, User, Click, Impression, Conversion, Conversion Tracking, Revenue Share, Fraud, and Invalid Traffic, have the meanings given in the Master Definitions. Two additional labels are used throughout this policy to describe the sophistication of Invalid Traffic. "General Invalid Traffic" means traffic that can be identified through routine, largely automated filtering, such as known bots, spiders, and data-center sources. "Sophisticated Invalid Traffic" means traffic that is deliberately engineered to evade routine filtering by imitating genuine human behavior. Both are Invalid Traffic and both are prohibited.
Invalid Traffic is any Click, Impression, Conversion, or other interaction with an Advertisement that does not reflect genuine, good-faith User interest. It includes activity produced by automated tools, activity generated through deception or improper incentives, activity that repeats mechanically to inflate a metric, and activity engineered to look human when it is not. The defining feature is not the tool used but the absence of a real person freely choosing to engage. An interaction that a real person is tricked, paid, or coerced into making, or that is invented outright, is Invalid Traffic even if a human hand was involved.
Invalid Traffic matters because the entire advertising economy is priced on the assumption that interactions are real. When that assumption fails, the harm spreads in every direction:
eFind classifies Invalid Traffic along a spectrum of sophistication. This is not a closed list. Fraud evolves constantly, and eFind reserves the right to treat any interaction as Invalid Traffic when the available evidence indicates it does not represent genuine User interest, even if the exact technique is new or not named below.
General Invalid Traffic is traffic that routine filtering can identify with high confidence, usually without needing to weigh subtle behavioral signals. Because it is comparatively easy to detect, eFind filters most of it automatically before it is ever counted or billed. Common examples include:
Sophisticated Invalid Traffic is deliberately engineered to defeat routine filtering by mimicking genuine human behavior. It is the harder and more damaging category, and countering it is where eFind concentrates its most advanced detection. Examples include:
Advertisers must not use the Services to generate, obtain, or benefit from Invalid Traffic, and must not manipulate the systems that measure Campaign performance. Prohibited practices include, but are not limited to:
Advertisers are responsible for third parties they engage. If an agency, affiliate, traffic vendor, or optimization tool used by an Advertiser generates Invalid Traffic or manipulates measurement, the Advertiser is responsible for that conduct as if it were its own. Choose partners carefully and require the same standards eFind requires here.
Publishers must present only genuine, human traffic and must accurately represent their inventory. Publishers must not take, encourage, or permit any action designed to inflate metrics or misrepresent the value of their Publisher Properties. Prohibited practices include, but are not limited to:
A single accidental Click by a Publisher, for example while testing a page, is not the concern this policy targets. The concern is deliberate or reckless conduct that inflates metrics or misrepresents inventory. When in doubt, do not interact with your own Advertisements, and contact us with any questions before acting.
eFind uses layered detection that combines technology, human judgment, and independent verification. No single technique is sufficient on its own, so we deploy several in parallel and continuously improve them as Fraud evolves. Our detection operates before billing wherever possible, so that Advertisers are not charged and Publishers are not credited for traffic we identify as invalid.
Every interaction passes through automated filters that evaluate a wide range of signals in real time and after the fact. These filters remove General Invalid Traffic with high confidence, screening out known bots and spiders, data-center sources, non-viewable Impressions, duplicated events, and other clearly non-human activity before those events are counted or billed. Filtering happens at multiple points, including when an Advertisement is requested, when it is served, when it is clicked, and when a Conversion is reported.
To counter Sophisticated Invalid Traffic, eFind uses machine-learning models trained on large volumes of interaction data. These models weigh behavioral patterns, technical fingerprints, timing, relationships between Accounts and Properties, and anomalies that individually look ordinary but together indicate manipulation. Because engineered Fraud is designed to imitate humans, models are retrained regularly to recognize new evasion tactics. Model outputs may be used to filter traffic automatically or to flag activity for human review.
Automated systems are supported by trained analysts who investigate flagged Accounts, Campaigns, Properties, and traffic patterns. Manual review catches novel schemes that models have not yet learned, resolves ambiguous cases, and provides the human judgment needed before significant enforcement decisions. Reviewers may examine Account history, traffic sources, measurement configurations, and other relevant information consistent with our Privacy Policy and the Agreement.
eFind may use independent, third-party measurement and verification providers to corroborate its own findings and to give Advertisers additional assurance about traffic quality. These providers may supply Invalid Traffic classifications, viewability measurement, and industry filtration standards. Where eFind and a reputable third-party provider agree that traffic is invalid, that agreement strengthens the basis for filtering and enforcement.
We tune our systems to protect genuine interactions. No detection system is perfect, and eFind aims to minimize both the invalid traffic that slips through and the legitimate traffic that is filtered by mistake. When we make an enforcement decision, we base it on the weight of the evidence available to us, and we provide a path to challenge it through the appeals process described below.
When eFind identifies Invalid Traffic, it acts to make Advertisers whole, to prevent bad actors from profiting, and to protect the marketplace. The consequences depend on what happened, how much traffic was affected, and whether the conduct appears accidental, negligent, or deliberate. eFind may apply any one or more of the following, and its remedies under this policy are in addition to any rights under the Agreement or Applicable Law.
The first line of protection is prevention. Wherever possible, eFind filters Invalid Traffic out of Clicks, Impressions, and Conversions before an Advertiser is charged and before it enters a Publisher's earnings. Filtered activity is not billed to Advertisers and is not eligible for Revenue Share.
When Invalid Traffic is detected after an Advertiser has been charged, eFind will issue a credit or refund for the affected charges in accordance with the Advertiser Agreement. Credits are typically applied to the Advertiser's Account for future use, though eFind may issue a refund where appropriate. The amount reflects eFind's best assessment of the invalid portion of the charges, based on its detection systems and any relevant third-party verification.
Revenue Share is earned only on valid, legitimately generated activity. eFind may withhold, reduce, reverse, or claw back Revenue Share attributable to Invalid Traffic, and it may place a hold on Publisher Payments while it investigates. Where Invalid Traffic funded an Advertiser credit or refund, the corresponding Revenue Share is not payable, and any amount already paid may be recovered through offset against future earnings or by other lawful means.
eFind may adjust reporting, metrics, and balances to remove the effect of Invalid Traffic, and it may recover amounts that were paid or credited based on invalid activity. Adjustments may be made after the period in which the traffic occurred once Invalid Traffic is discovered, and eFind may offset recoverable amounts against amounts otherwise owed to an Advertiser or Publisher.
Where eFind reasonably suspects Invalid Traffic or Fraud, it may place a temporary hold on outgoing Payments to a Publisher, or on an Advertiser's balance, while it investigates. Holds are meant to protect against loss during review, not to be punitive, and eFind aims to resolve them promptly once its investigation is complete.
Serious, repeated, or deliberate Invalid Traffic can result in suspension or termination of an Account and forfeiture of related balances, in accordance with the Agreement. eFind may suspend an Account immediately where it reasonably believes that continued activity threatens Advertisers, Publishers, Users, or the integrity of the Services. Where conduct appears to involve Fraud or violates Applicable Law, eFind may also refer the matter to appropriate authorities.
| Situation | Typical eFind Response |
|---|---|
| General Invalid Traffic detected pre-billing | Filtered automatically; not charged to Advertisers and not eligible for Revenue Share |
| Invalid Traffic detected after billing | Advertiser credit or refund; corresponding Revenue Share withheld or reversed |
| Suspected but unconfirmed Invalid Traffic | Payment hold and investigation while eFind reviews the activity |
| Confirmed negligent or reckless conduct | Adjustments, clawbacks, warnings, and additional monitoring or restrictions |
| Deliberate, repeated, or large-scale Fraud | Suspension or termination, forfeiture of balances, and possible referral to authorities |
When eFind investigates possible Invalid Traffic, it may review Account activity, traffic sources, measurement and tracking configurations, Property enrollment, and related records, consistent with the Privacy Policy and the Agreement. eFind may request information and documentation from the Advertiser or Publisher under review, such as details about traffic sources, agency or vendor relationships, technical implementations, and the steps taken to prevent Invalid Traffic.
Cooperation is expected and is a condition of using the Services. Account holders must respond to reasonable requests for information within the time eFind specifies, must not destroy, alter, or conceal relevant records, and must not interfere with an investigation. A failure to cooperate, or the provision of false or misleading information, is itself a violation of this policy and may be treated as evidence that the activity under review was invalid. During an active investigation, eFind may impose interim measures, such as payment holds, throttling, or temporary restrictions, to limit ongoing harm.
eFind recognizes that legitimate Advertisers and Publishers may be affected by an enforcement decision they believe is mistaken. Any Advertiser or Publisher subject to a filtering adjustment, credit or clawback, payment hold, suspension, or termination under this policy may request a review.
eFind maintains records of Invalid Traffic detections, filtering decisions, credits and refunds, Revenue Share adjustments, investigations, and enforcement actions for as long as needed to operate the Services, resolve disputes, meet legal and regulatory obligations, and defend claims, consistent with the Privacy Policy and applicable retention practices. Advertisers and Publishers are expected to keep accurate records of their traffic sources, vendor and agency relationships, measurement configurations, and the controls they use to prevent Invalid Traffic, and to make those records available to eFind on reasonable request during an investigation. Accurate record-keeping benefits everyone, because it helps distinguish genuine activity from Invalid Traffic quickly and fairly.
This policy is part of the Policies incorporated into the Advertiser Agreement and the Publisher Agreement, and it supplements the Advertising Policies and the Publisher Policies. It does not replace those agreements. The commercial terms that govern Billing, credits, Revenue Share, Payments, holds, offsets, suspension, and termination live in the applicable Agreement, and this policy explains how those mechanisms are applied specifically to Invalid Traffic and Fraud.
A violation of this policy is a violation of the applicable Agreement. Where this policy grants eFind a remedy, that remedy is in addition to, and not instead of, the remedies available under the Agreement and Applicable Law. eFind may update this policy from time to time as Fraud techniques and detection methods change, and the current version governs. Continued use of the Services after an update means you accept the updated policy.
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