DoubleVerify launches automated filters to block illicit CSAM and P2P content
DoubleVerify has launched two new automated brand-safety categories: a 'Highly Illicit: Do Not Monetize' filter for content flagged by experts like NCMEC, and a 'P2P Sharing and Streaming' avoidance tool. These features are designed to help advertisers block ad delivery on high-risk domains and P2P platforms that may host illegal content.
Key Takeaways
- “Highly Illicit: Do Not Monetize” category blocks dozens of domains flagged by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).
- New P2P Sharing and Streaming category enables pre-bid protection and post-bid monitoring across open web and mobile app inventory.
- Both categories are enabled by default for all DV advertisers and distributed to over 100 platform partners.
- DoubleVerify provided a site-by-site analysis to determine risk levels for over 300 domains mentioned in three years of NCMEC data.
- The “Highly Illicit” list is made available at no cost to all industry platforms, including those that are not current DV customers.
Why It Matters
The immediate implication is a shift toward default automated blocking for the most high-risk content segments, moving beyond traditional manual exclusion lists. As the industry faces increased scrutiny over ad-supported monetization of illegal content, this move attempts to establish a safety baseline that covers both web domains and mobile applications. In the broader ecosystem, this puts pressure on competitors and programmatic exchanges to adopt similar open-source or shared risk databases. Watch for whether platforms like Google and Amazon officially integrate these specific DV categories, as their involvement is critical for industry-wide scale.
Additional Context
The launch of these automated categories follows a period of intense pressure on the ad verification sector. Per Digiday in February 2025, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal sent formal inquiries to the CEOs of DoubleVerify, Integral Ad Science (IAS), and the Media Rating Council (MRC) after a report from Adalytics alleged that major brand advertisements were appearing on websites hosting child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The senators specifically questioned the industry’s reliance on automated tools and the lack of granular page-level data shared with advertisers. Simultaneously, the Media Rating Council has begun enforcing stricter standards for what can be marketed as "brand safety." Per PPC Land in October 2025, the MRC issued a policy requiring that vendors must possess content-level analysis capabilities—including image, video, and audio cues—rather than just domain-level or keyword checks to maintain accreditation. This shift is intended to close the "blind spots" in programmatic buying where illegal or unsuitable content slips through traditional text-based filters. To further bolster its capabilities, DoubleVerify expanded its partnerships to include European authorities. Per a company announcement in April 2025, DV partnered with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to incorporate its URL list of known CSAM webpages into the "Highly Illicit" category. This proactive stance comes as major tech companies navigate shifting regulatory landscapes; for instance, the MRC recently revoked Meta's content-level brand safety accreditation after the company withdrew from the annual audit program in September 2025, according to MediaPost.
Read full article at doubleverify.com
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