Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) Awards Centro with “Certified Against Piracy” Seal

CHICAGO, March 27, 2018 -- Centro (www.centro.net), a provider of enterprise-class software for digital advertising, today announced that it has been awarded with the “Certified Against Piracy” seal from the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG). This is Centro’s second TAG seal, after being “Certified Against Ad Fraud” last year. TAG (www.tagtoday.net) is an advertising industry initiative to fight criminal activity in the digital advertising supply chain. Its Certified Against Piracy program helps advertisers avoid damage to their brands from ad placement on websites and other media properties that distribute pirated content and counterfeit products. The program puts organizations in the ad industry through a rigorous process to ensure that they meet TAG’s anti-piracy standards.

Companies that abide by TAG’s Certified Against Piracy Guidelines receive the Certified Against Piracy seal, which illustrates that they take proactive steps to prevent ad placement on websites and media properties with pirated content and counterfeit products. “In jump-starting a movement towards a cleaner, well-lit digital advertising ecosystem, TAG has galvanized major players in the industry who share the same values,” said Ian Trider, director of RTB platform operations, Centro. “Centro has always supported the health of digital publishers, and we’re continuing this with our involvement in the Certified Against Piracy program to ensure that solely principled media organizations receive ad dollars.”

How Does Piracy Damage Digital Advertisers?
“Piracy” in digital media refers to the unauthorized copying, distributing and selling of works in copyright. When a brand’s advertisement is served on sites and apps that have pirated content or sell counterfeit products, Internet users may associate the brand with illegal activity. Research from TAG and Ernst & Young LLP in 2017 showed that anti-piracy steps taken by the digital advertising industry have reduced ad revenue for pirate sites by between 48 and 61 percent, an improvement from the $2.4 billion problem of infringing content that was measured by Ernst & Young in 2015. TAG is providing assurance to buyers and sellers by listing fully-vetted anti-piracy service and technology providers whose offerings have been “Certified Against Piracy.”

“By demonstrating leadership and meeting all the steps required by TAG, Centro is helping combat the negative impact of ad-supported pirated content on digital media,” said Mike Zaneis, CEO of TAG. “TAG’s mission of lifting the quality of the digital ad industry is gaining support and strength from influential organizations that share our vision for our space.”

What is the Certified Against Piracy Seal?
Companies that abide by TAG’s Certified Against Piracy Guidelines receive the Certified Against Piracy seal, which illustrates that they take proactive steps to prevent ad placement on websites and media properties with pirated content and counterfeit products. Buyers, direct sellers and intermediaries across the digital advertising ecosystem are eligible to receive the seal, with requirements varying according to a company’s role in the digital advertising supply chain.

TAG’s Certified Against Piracy program includes anti-piracy tools to aid in compliance with the program requirements:

• To achieve the Certified Against Piracy seal, direct ad-buyers must operationalize and comply with the TAG Anti-Piracy Pledge.
• To achieve the Certified Against Piracy seal, validated technology companies must meet all of the elements in one or more of the five Core Criteria for Effective Digital Advertising Assurance. 
• Published quarterly, the TAG Pirate Mobile App List is a common list of mobile apps that were removed from App Stores for infringing on protected intellectual property rights. It assists companies that employ pirate mobile app filtering for all advertising displayed in a mobile app environment.

By participating in TAG’s Certified Against Piracy program, Centro reaffirms to the users of its Basis programmatic ad platform its commitment to quality inventory sourcing; support of content owners and brands; and opposition to offending sites that profit from pirated content or counterfeit products.

“In jump-starting a movement towards a cleaner, well-lit digital advertising ecosystem, TAG has galvanized major players in the industry who share the same values,” said Ian Trider, director of RTB platform operations, Centro. “Centro has always supported the health of digital publishers, and we’re continuing this with our involvement in the Certified Against Piracy program to ensure that solely principled media organizations receive ad dollars.”

Centro’s Basis unifies programmatic and direct media buying with workflow automation, cross-channel campaign planning, universal reporting and business intelligence. It is designed to boost media, team and business performance by enabling advertisers to plan, buy and analyze real-time bidding (RTB), direct, search and social campaigns on a single platform.

About Centro
Centro (www.centro.net) is a provider of enterprise-class software for digital advertising organizations. Its technology platform, Basis, is the first of its kind SaaS advertising solution unifying programmatic and direct media buying, along with workflow automation, cross-channel campaign planning, universal reporting and business intelligence. It boosts media, team and business performance by enabling advertisers to plan, buy and analyze real-time bidding (RTB), direct, search and social campaigns on a single platform. Headquartered in Chicago with 40 offices in North America, Centro has received numerous accolades for its commitment to employees and workplace culture.

About the Trustworthy Accountability Group
The Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) is the leading global certification program fighting criminal activity and increasing trust in the digital advertising industry. Created by the industry’s top trade organizations, TAG’s mission is to eliminate fraudulent traffic, combat malware, prevent Internet piracy, and promote greater transparency in digital advertising. TAG advances those initiatives by bringing companies across the digital advertising supply chain together to set the highest standards. TAG is the first and only registered Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (ISAO) for the digital advertising industry. For more information on TAG, please visit tagtoday.net.

Contact:
Anthony Loredo
646-462-4888
[email protected]

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/47d33f84-9039-4714-bc61-d68eed6cce7b

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/64183573-774a-4dc1-afb4-ed74b9881feb