Invalid Traffic (IVT) Policy

This Invalid Traffic Policy (“Policy”) defines what InfluencersKit and the MailAdx ad exchange network treat as invalid traffic (“IVT”), how we detect and filter it, and how it impacts advertiser campaign spends and creator payouts.

We operate under the core principle that advertisers should only pay for genuine human engagement, and creators should only earn from authentic human audiences. This Policy is incorporated into and forms part of our Terms of Service, and should be read alongside our Monetisation Policy and Advertising Policy.

1. Purpose and Industry Alignment

To maintain the integrity of our newsletter ad network, InfluencersKit aligns its invalid traffic classification with recognized advertising industry standards, including:

• The Media Rating Council (MRC) Invalid Traffic Detection and Filtration Guidelines.
• The IAB/ABC International Spiders & Bots List.
• Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) anti-fraud and brand safety frameworks.

These guidelines are adapted to the specific technical architecture of open-time email ad serving.

2. Classification of Invalid Traffic

In accordance with industry standards, invalid traffic is divided into two distinct categories: General Invalid Traffic (GIVT) and Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT). Both categories are non-billable for advertisers and non-payable for creators.

2.1 General Invalid Traffic (GIVT)

GIVT consists of non-human traffic that can be identified through routine parameters, list checks, or standard heuristics:

• Known Bots & Crawlers: Automated programs appearing on the IAB/ABC list, and other declared search, indexing, or archival spiders.
• Data Center Traffic: Requests originating from servers, hosting facilities (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure), or cloud proxies that do not represent active email clients operated by human users.
• Machine-Generated Opens (Prefetching): Automated pre-fetching and caching processes by email gateways or clients, including Apple Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) proxy pre-rendering. These are isolated using our machine-open classification heuristics.
• Corporate Security Scanners: Anti-phishing, link protection, and spam filters (e.g., Barracuda, Proofpoint) that programmatically open emails or click links to verify safety before delivery (often causing instantaneous bot clicks).
• Malformed Requests: Duplicate tracking beacon hits, out-of-order logs, or activity-based anomalies (such as physically impossible open frequencies from a single subscriber).

2.2 Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT)

SIVT requires advanced analytics, multi-signal patterns, or post-serve database verification to detect, as it is typically engineered to mimic genuine human activity:

• Emulators & Botnets: Networks of hijacked devices, headless browsers, or simulators engineered to systematically generate newsletter opens and clicks.
• Incentivized & Coerced Traffic: Traffic generated by users who are offered financial rewards, points, or digital goods to open emails or click ads (e.g., click farms, paid-to-read networks).
• List Pollution & Trap Addresses: Bulk loading fake, synthetic, or purchased email addresses into a subscriber list, which then generate automated opens and clicks.
• Signal Alteration: Forging subscriber hashes, spoofing geographic locations, falsifying user-agents, or manipulating frequency cap and attribution cookies.
• Hidden Placements & Ad Stacking: Rendering ads in off-screen areas, 1x1 invisible layouts, or stacking creatives so that impressions are fetched without any opportunity for human viewability.

3. Detection, Filtering, and Heuristics

We employ a multi-layered approach to ensure ad quality:

• Real-Time Filtration: During the open-time ad request, GIVT sources and known data-center IPs are filtered instantly. While a filtered source may receive a default placeholder or standard content, the request is marked as invalid and is never entered into billing systems.
• Post-Serve Analysis: Our data pipeline regularly analyzes log patterns for SIVT signals using behavioral models, IP reputation datasets, and speed thresholds. The technical specifics of these models are kept confidential to prevent evasion.
• Data Reclassification: Traffic that initially passes real-time filters may be reclassified as IVT upon deeper post-serve analysis during the reconciliation window.

4. Impact on Advertiser Billing

• No Charges for GIVT: Real-time filtered traffic (GIVT) is excluded from campaign reports and is never billed to your campaign budget.
• Post-Serve Credits: If traffic is reclassified as SIVT within 30 days of the end of the calendar month in which it was served (the “Reconciliation Window”), the spent amount is credited back to the advertiser's wallet.
• Wallet-Only Adjustments: Reconciled IVT adjustments are credited to the advertiser's prepaid platform wallet to support future campaigns, and are not refundable as cash unless otherwise agreed in writing.
• Disputes: Advertisers may submit traffic quality disputes within the Reconciliation Window. Disputes must be backed by data (e.g., logs from MRC-accredited third-party tracking tools). While we investigate all disputes, InfluencersKit/MailAdx billing systems remain the official records of delivery.

5. Impact on Publisher/Creator Payouts

• No Earnings on IVT: Creators do not accrue earnings on impressions or clicks flagged as IVT either in real time or during post-serve analysis.
• Earnings Reversals: If traffic is flagged as invalid during the Reconciliation Window, any earnings accrued from that traffic are deducted from the creator's pending balance.
• Clawbacks: If SIVT is discovered on historical traffic after payments have been processed, the accrued amounts may be clawed back by deducting them from future payout balances.
• Traffic Limits: Creators whose newsletters consistently demonstrate high IVT rates (independent of intent) may have their programmatic ad flow restricted, have their inventory suspended from the marketplace, or face account termination.

6. Participant Commitments and List Hygiene

To combat invalid traffic, creators using the platform agree to:

• Double Opt-In Acquisition: Maintain a strict double opt-in subscription process to prevent automated bots from polluting email lists.
• Regular List Scrubbing: Regularly remove unengaged, bouncing, or invalid emails from active lists. InfluencersKit provides built-in tools to automate this process.
• Investigation Cooperation: Cooperate in good faith with compliance audits, which may include providing subscription source documentation, registration logs, or campaign histories if anomalous traffic is detected.

7. Enforcement and Appeals

Deliberate manipulation, generation of click fraud, or sourcing traffic from click networks will result in the immediate termination of the creator account and permanent forfeiture of all pending balances (which will be returned to affected advertisers). For non-fraudulent accounts where traffic is restricted due to automated scanners or client configurations, we will work with you to optimize template layouts or list segments.

Suspensions or earnings reversals may be appealed within 30 days by emailing our compliance team at policy@influencerskit.com.

8. Contact

To report suspicious traffic or for questions regarding invalid traffic detection, contact:
Email: policy@influencerskit.com