Programmatic video platform TubeMogul will roll out a ‘non-human traffic credit programme’, to automatically refund clients for any fake impressions bought on the open exchange.

The initiative, which begins on 1 April, will see TubeMogul issue credits to platform clients each month for any video ad traffic deemed to be fraudulent by White Ops’ benchmarking, by deploying verification across any ads bought via OpenRTB.

“Our longstanding investments and track record in blocking ad fraud have already minimised this issue for our clients,” said TubeMogul chief executive and co-founder Brett Wilson. “The NHT Credit Program now gives our clients total certainty as a matter of policy. Anyone can say that they are blocking suspicious or non-human traffic, but trust is earned in advertising. We hope that others will follow suit.”

TubeMogul has made previous steps for increased control and transparency through BrandSafe brand safety suite and single open-source technology for measuring ad viewability, OpenVV, amongst other steps.

“We can measure all we want, but until there is clear accountability in the system, it’s hard to make significant progress on fixing the problem,” said White Ops chief executive and co-founder Michael Tiffany. “Brands need to demand, and providers need to accept, responsibility for the elephant in the inventory. TubeMogul’s bold program is throwing down the gauntlet, and others like it will help move the industry forward.”