Trustworthy Accountability Group

What Trustworthy Accountability Group does

Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) is a U.S.-incorporated non-profit industry body, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., that operates the leading cross-industry certification and threat-intelligence program for digital advertising. Created jointly by the 4A's, Association of National Advertisers (ANA), and Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), TAG is the first and only Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (ISAO) for the digital advertising sector, designated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It serves brands, agencies, publishers, and ad tech providers—700+ member companies across 43 countries—with a portfolio centered on four seal programs (Certified Against Fraud, Certified Against Malware, Brand Safety Certified, and Certified for Transparency), an entry-level Verified by TAG identity-verification program, and a Platinum tier for companies achieving three or more seals. The organization is governed by a 20-seat Leadership Council of member companies, with a sole member relationship to Trusted Advertising Network, LLC.

TAG's technology platform combines certification rules engines with proprietary data and intelligence tools, including the Data Center IP List (104M+ high-risk IPs identified in 2024), the Pirate Domain Exclusion List (PDEL), Keyword Exclusion List Toolset (KELT), Pirate Mobile App List (PMAL), TAG TrustNet (campaign-data insights for 40+ brands), and the AdSec Threat Exchange (real-time malvertising intelligence, +40% YoY in 2024, with 21.5 hours of human daily coverage across 11 countries). Membership is delivered in three annual subscription tiers—Basic, Premium Comprehensive, and Thought Leadership—with Premium Comprehensive providing full certification access and Thought Leadership conferring a Leadership Council seat. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; applicants submit a membership form and are invoiced by a TAG Compliance Officer. GTM is community-led and event-driven, anchored on the State of the Fight annual event and sponsorship of Cannes Lions, Advertising Week, and ANA conferences.

The business model is membership-fee recurring revenue underwritten by a renewal-heavy enterprise base. In 2026, 196 companies achieved certifications totaling 307 seals, with 32 at Platinum; 80% of seals covered multiple markets and 74% were independently audited. Documented impact metrics include 88–94% less fraud in TAG Certified Channels, a 90% reduction in brand ads on pirate sites, $10.8 billion in U.S. ad fraud savings in 2023 (with 4A's/ANA/IAB), and €3.45 billion in European IVT-loss prevention in 2023. Strategic positioning is reinforced by partnerships with MRC-accredited IVT vendors (DoubleVerify, IAS, Moat, Pixalate) for measurement, TruSTAR for threat intelligence, and AWS/HubSpot for infrastructure.

Name

Trustworthy Accountability Group

Legal name

Trustworthy Accountability Group, Inc.

Website

https://tagtoday.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TAG is a U.S. non-profit industry body and DHS-designated ISAO that issues four certification seals (anti-fraud, anti-malware, brand safety, transparency) for digital advertising, serving 700+ brands, agencies, publishers, and ad tech providers across 43 countries through a tiered membership model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: TAG generates revenue primarily through membership fees. The organization offers three membership tiers (Basic Membership, Premium Comprehensive Membership, and Thought Leadership Membership), each with different access levels to certification programs, threat-sharing tools, working groups, and events. Membership fees fund TAG's operations, certification infrastructure, and industry collaboration initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

TAG is a cross-industry certification and threat intelligence organization that combats ad fraud, malvertising, brand safety risks, and lack of transparency in digital advertising. It sells annual membership subscriptions (Basic, Premium Comprehensive, Thought Leadership) that grant companies access to four certification seal programs (CAF, CAM, BSC, CFT), proprietary data tools (DCIP, PDEL, PMAL, KELT), the AdSec Threat Exchange, TAG TrustNet campaign insights, and listing in the TAG Registry for partner verification.

Product overview

TAG (Trustworthy Accountability Group) operates as a certification and anti-fraud certification organization for the digital advertising industry, offering a multi-tiered portfolio centered on four core certification programs: Certified Against Fraud (CAF), Certified Against Malware (CAM), Brand Safety Certified (BSC), and Certified for Transparency (CFT). These certifications work in concert with TAG's intelligence and transparency tools, including TAG TrustNet for campaign data insights, the AdSec Threat Exchange for real-time threat sharing, and exclusion lists (PDEL for domains, PMAL for mobile apps, DCIP for data center IPs, and KELT for keyword management). The Verified by TAG program serves as the entry point providing identity verification and registry listing, while TAG Platinum Status represents the elite tier for companies achieving three or more certifications. The organization connects industry leaders through working groups, the TAG Registry (accessible via API), and events, positioning itself as the primary forum for trust and transparency in digital advertising.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Verified by TAG: A proprietary background check program that ensures each member of the TAG Community is who they claim to be. Companies receive a unique 16-character TAG ID and are listed in the TAG Registry.
• TAG Registry
• TAG TrustNet
• TAG Platinum Status

Products and services

• TAG Certified Against Fraud (CAF) Certification program setting rigorous standards for reducing invalid traffic (IVT) and combating ad fraud across the digital advertising supply chain. Companies achieving certification maintain sub-1% IVT rates globally in TAG Certified Channels, with 88-94% less fraudulent traffic than non-certified channels.
• TAG Certified Against Malware (CAM) Certification program validating that participants have effective anti-malvertising services and controls to protect consumers and advertisers from malicious advertising across the digital ad supply chain.
• Brand Safety Certified (BSC) Certification program ensuring brand-safe advertising environments and anti-piracy protections, including the Pirate Domain Exclusion List (PDEL) for pre-bid blocking of pirate sites. Has contributed to a 90% reduction in brand ads appearing on pirate sites.
• Certified for Transparency (CFT) Certification program enabling greater transparency and accountability in digital advertising transactions, including log-level data access requirements that drive campaign-level supply chain visibility.
• TAG TrustNet Campaign data insights platform providing transparency into digital advertising supply chain transactions, leveraging log-level data. Now provides campaign data insights for more than 40 brands.
• AdSec Threat Exchange Real-time threat intelligence sharing platform (powered by TruSTAR) enabling the global advertising industry to share intelligence on malvertising attacks and emerging digital threats. Designated as the digital advertising industry's Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (ISAO) by DHS. Threat-sharing activity grew 40% in 2024.
• Pirate Domain Exclusion List (PDEL) Comprehensive pre-bid exclusion list that proactively protects advertisers from unintentional exposure to pirate sites. Part of the Brand Safety Certified program.
• Keyword Exclusion List Toolset (KELT) Brand safety tool creating a baseline of best practices for brands and agencies to maintain effective keyword exclusion lists, standardizing brand suitability across the industry.
• Data Center IP List (DCIP) List identifying high-risk IP addresses associated with data center traffic and non-human (bot) traffic, helping reduce invalid traffic in programmatic advertising. Identified more than 104 million unique high-risk IP addresses in 2024.
• Pirate Mobile App List (PMAL) List of mobile applications that contain pirated content, enabling advertisers to avoid funding intellectual property criminals through mobile advertising.
• TAG Registry Database of record for the entire TAG Community, listing verified member companies with their TAG ID (unique 16-character identifier) and certifications. Accessible via API for partner screening across the industry.
• Verified by TAG Entry-level verification program providing proprietary background checks for companies joining the TAG Community, with a unique 16-character TAG ID and listing in the TAG Registry.
• TAG Platinum Status Elite designation for companies that have earned three or more TAG certification seals, demonstrating comprehensive commitment to fighting criminal activity and maintaining trust across all aspects of digital advertising operations. 32 companies earned Platinum status in 2026.

Quantifiable outcome

• 88-94% less fraudulent traffic in TAG Certified Channels compared to non-certified channels
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers36 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature11 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered founding, core and supporting.

• American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's)foundingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 4A's is one of TAG's three founding organizations, alongside ANA and IAB. The 4A's co-created TAG to address the endemic problems of fraud, malware, piracy, and lack of transparency in digital advertising. The partnership provides foundational industry legitimacy and ongoing strategic alignment with agency interests.
• Association of National Advertisers (ANA)foundingStrategic or Co-development PartnerANA is one of TAG's three founding organizations. ANA and TAG have partnered on research including the 2024 Impact and Compliance Report and European Ad Fraud Savings Report. ANA's benchmark reports highlight a 22% increase in ad spend productivity tied to TAG transparency efforts. Bill Duggan of ANA has been featured in TAG's Member Spotlight series.
• Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)foundingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIAB is one of TAG's three founding organizations. IAB co-authored the first financial impact analysis of the digital advertising industry's anti-fraud programs that found $10.8 billion in ad fraud savings for U.S. advertisers in 2023. IAB and TAG collaborate on industry standards and transparency initiatives.
• Trusted Advertising Network, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrusted Advertising Network, LLC is a sole member entity of TAG. TAG shares information with Trusted Advertising Network for marketing and service provision purposes. TAG is self-certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and the Trusted Advertising Network LLC is listed as a subsidiary adhering to Data Privacy Framework Principles.
• DoubleVerifycoreTechnology or IntegrationDoubleVerify is a MRC-accredited IVT vendor whose data is used in TAG's fraud impact calculations. DoubleVerify is a TAG Platinum member and participates in TAG's certification programs. The company's IVT measurement data helps establish industry baseline fraud rates used in TAG's European and U.S. fraud savings studies.
• Integral Ad Science (IAS)coreTechnology or IntegrationIAS is a TAG Platinum member and MRC-accredited IVT vendor whose data feeds into TAG's fraud impact calculations. IAS is referenced in TAG's fraud savings methodology as one of the four IVT vendors used to calculate blended average IVT rates.
• Moat by OraclecoreTechnology or IntegrationMoat by Oracle is one of the four MRC-accredited IVT vendors used in TAG's fraud savings methodology to calculate blended average IVT rates for the European and U.S. fraud impact studies.
• PixalatecoreTechnology or IntegrationPixalate is one of the four MRC-accredited IVT vendors whose data is used in TAG's fraud savings methodology to calculate blended average IVT rates for the European and U.S. fraud impact studies.
• Cunningham.Tech ConsultingsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerScott Cunningham of Cunningham.Tech Consulting co-authored the 2025 European Ad Fraud Savings Report, which evaluated the savings resulting from the digital advertising industry's implementation of anti-fraud programs. The study methodology used data from multiple sources including IAB Europe, Statista, and ExchangeWire.
• HubSpotsupportingTechnology or IntegrationHubSpot serves as TAG's CRM and marketing software provider and hosts the TAG Member Portal. TAG uses HubSpot's cookie-based tracking to understand how site visitors interact with the website and email communications for audience measurement and remarketing purposes.
• TruSTARsupportingTechnology or IntegrationTruSTAR is TAG's threat intelligence platform used within the AdSec Threat Exchange for sharing real-time intelligence on malvertising attacks and emerging digital threats across the global advertising industry.
• Amazon Web ServicessupportingTechnology or IntegrationAWS hosts TAG's Registry and API infrastructure as part of TAG's data infrastructure stack.
• CoralogixsupportingTechnology or IntegrationCoralogix provides observability and server management services for TAG's security purposes.
• SentrysupportingTechnology or IntegrationSentry monitors outages and errors for TAG's security and operational purposes.
• JAMSsupportingTechnology or IntegrationTAG's Terms of Use specify JAMS (Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services) as the arbitration provider for dispute resolution, with JAMS' Comprehensive Arbitration Rules and Procedures and Expedited Procedures governing the process.
• BBB Data Privacy Framework ServicessupportingOthersTAG has committed to refer unresolved privacy complaints under the EU-U.S. DPF, UK Extension, and Swiss-U.S. DPF to BBB Data Privacy Framework Services, a non-profit alternative dispute resolution provider operated by the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Integral Ad Science (IAS): IAS is a TAG Platinum member and MRC-accredited IVT vendor whose data feeds into TAG's fraud-impact analyses. As a large publicly-oriented verification vendor, it is an adjacent incumbent in the brand safety and IVT measurement categories.
• DoubleVerify: DoubleVerify is a TAG Platinum member and MRC-accredited IVT measurement vendor. While a member and partner, it is also a commercial incumbent in the verification space that competes with TAG-style certification through paid services.

Direct peers

• World Federation of Advertisers (WFA): WFA is the global peak body for marketers and runs global cross-media media quality initiatives. It is a direct peer for international ad industry standards and is increasingly active in the same fraud, brand safety, and transparency domains TAG operates in.
• IAB Tech Lab: IAB Tech Lab is the standards-setting arm of IAB focused on programmatic protocols (OpenRTB, ads.txt, sellers.json). It is a direct peer in the digital advertising standards space and a potential substitute for some of TAG's technical certification functions.
• Association of National Advertisers (ANA): ANA is a TAG founding sponsor and the leading U.S. trade association for client-side marketers. ANA co-publishes research with TAG and is directly comparable as an industry-body peer serving the same advertising value chain.
• Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB): IAB is one of TAG's three founding organizations and operates as the primary U.S. trade association for digital advertising. It runs IAB Tech Lab for technical standards and is the closest peer in scope, scale, and industry legitimacy.
• American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's): The 4A's is a TAG founding sponsor and the principal U.S. trade body for ad agencies. As one of the three organizations that created TAG, it is a structural peer in mission and governance.
• Joint Industry Committee for Web Standards (JICWEBS): JICWEBS was the UK-based industry body for digital ad standards and was acquired by TAG in July 2020. It remains a direct peer in mission, with the distinction that it is now structurally part of TAG.
• Media Rating Council (MRC): MRC is the industry body that accredits media measurement services, including IVT vendors whose data feeds into TAG's fraud-savings studies. It is the closest direct peer in mission: independent standards and accreditation for media measurement quality.

Emerging players

• Adalytics: Adalytics is an independent ad-verification and supply-path auditing firm that publishes research on ad fraud and brand safety. It overlaps with TAG's mission in spirit (transparency and accountability) but operates as a commercial challenger rather than a certification body.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tag_today
• Facebookfacebook.com/tagtoday
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trustworthy-accountability-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trustworthy Accountability Group