A recent report from the DV Fraud Lab has revealed a significant increase in General Invalid Traffic (GIVT) rates during the second half of 2024, with an 86% year-over-year rise. For the first time, monthly GIVT volumes surpassed 2 billion ad requests in Q4 2024. This trend reflects the growing prevalence of AI-powered crawlers and scrapers, which, while not malicious, can disrupt accurate measurement in digital campaigns.
Understanding GIVT
GIVT refers to identifiable invalid traffic such as bots and automated tools used for legitimate purposes like web content analysis. Unlike Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT), which involves fraudulent activities, GIVT is filtered out of billable metrics to protect advertisers. However, unchecked GIVT can distort campaign performance data, necessitating robust detection and prevention measures.
The Role of Generative AI
Generative AI tools have driven a surge in GIVT, with AI scrapers like GPTBot and ClaudeBot contributing significantly. In 2024, 16% of GIVT originated from bots associated with AI scraping, inflating impression counts and complicating accurate ad measurement.
The following chart shows the relative portion of major crawlers and scrapers that drove GIVT in December 2024, measured on known-bot impressions:
The below graph shows the overall increase in AI-based scraping in 2024, which amplifies the need for advertisers to measure and account for GIVT in their campaigns.
Addressing the Issue
Verification vendors like DV provide pre-bid and post-bid solutions to detect and mitigate GIVT. These include leveraging industry-standard resources, proprietary filtration methods, and tools to proactively block GIVT traffic. Despite these efforts, advertisers are encouraged to optimize campaign settings, understand platform limitations, and use inclusion lists strategically.
Looking Ahead
The rapid evolution of AI and digital ecosystems demands continued vigilance against invalid traffic. By employing advanced verification solutions, advertisers can maximize their campaign effectiveness and ensure transparency in ad spend.
This rise in GIVT underscores the importance of collaboration across the advertising industry to address emerging challenges and maintain trust in digital advertising metrics.
