June 2026

• World Cup Piracy Stamp Out
• Evolution Session: AI Bots
• Cannes 2026
• State of the Fight 2026!
• TAG in the News
• Where in the world is TAG
  
• One More Thing

World Cup Pirates Sunk by TAG-Led Ad Industry Action, Supporting DOJ Seizures

Earlier this week, TAG announced a groundbreaking cross-industry collaboration to cut off advertising revenue to 1,376 digital piracy sites providing illegal streams or other content stolen from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

TAG compiled the list of World Cup pirate domains through contributions from industry partners and members of the TAG AdSec Threat Exchange, and it has added the sites to its Pirate Domain Exclusion List (PDEL), so they can be demonetized by TAG members across the digital advertising supply chain. In addition to the newly demonetized domains, TAG also identified an additional 176 domains trafficking in stolen World Cup that were already on its PDEL list.

TAG’s demonetization efforts provide a powerful and complementary mechanism to the seizure of 400 pirate domains announced by the US Department of Justice on Friday as part of “Operation Offsides,” in which TAG was also a participant. While they share common sources, the pirate domains seized by the government are distinct from the pirate domains that are being demonetized through TAG’s efforts.

Banner posted by US Department of Justice on pirate domains seized in parallel operation

Commenting on the initiative, TAG COO Rachel Nyswander Thomas said, "Global sporting events like the World Cup are prime targets for criminals who try to intercept legitimate ad dollars by stealing popular streaming content. The TAG AdSec Threat Exchange has created as an early-warning system to identify and block ad revenue to websites that are profiting from stolen content, and this first-of-its-kind initiative allows us to fight those criminals in near-real time by cutting off the flow of ad dollars to the content thieves targeting the World Cup."

TAG’s PDEL provides advertisers, agencies, and ad tech platforms with a regularly updated catalog of known piracy domains, enabling them to decide whether to automatically exclude those sites from programmatic advertising campaigns. The list is one of TAG's most widely used anti-piracy tools and a core component of the organization's broader effort to ensure that advertising investment flows only to legitimate, brand-appropriate content environments.

TAG is also the first and only Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (ISAO) for the digital advertising industry, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security designation that identifies TAG as the primary forum for sharing threat intelligence in the industry.

The TAG-led anti-piracy initiative was highlighted in an exclusive story in The Athletic, which is owned by the New York Times.

TAG Evolution Session Focuses on AI Crawlers/Scrapers and Their Publisher Impact

Late in May, TAG held an Evolution Session to discuss the impact of the increasing volume of automated crawler and scraper activity associated with AI. The session, attended by a wide range of TAG members, prompted a lively conversation, as participants focused on ways to help publishers maintain greater control over the ways their content is accessed by crawlers and scrapers and the purposes for which it is used.

Participants in the session concluded there’s no single or simple solution for this challenge. Instead, companies need to engage in a range of actions that address the full range of bot behaviors, from ‘polite’ AI bots that provide full transparency and respect publisher signals to the rogue AI bots that ignore signals and work in the shadows.

TAG Working Groups are already actively discussing adding requirements for certified search engine and AI companies to provide the transparency and disclosure necessary for Publishers to have greater control. Based on feedback from the Evolution Session, TAG will continue to engage with the broader TAG community on new documentation, best practices, program requirements, and tools to help address the issues of crawling and scraping by AI bots.

This was the first TAG Evolution Session held expressly for publishers, and TAG is grateful to Rob Beeler, Scott Cunningham, and the team at Brand Safety Institute for their help in recruiting attendees and structuring these important discussions.

Cannes You Come Up With a Better Pun to Say Goodbye?

Another week of industry madness, meetups, and martinis in Cannes has come to an end, with TAG CEO Mike Zaneis and Chief Growth Officer Jules Kendrick raising the banner high for collaborative industry efforts to fight criminals and strengthen transparency. If you’re planning to attend an industry event this summer or fall, let us know at info@tagtoday.net, so we can connect in person!

SAVE THE DATE: TAG “State of the Fight” in NYC on October 7, 2026!

Mark your calendars and block the date, because this year’s TAG “State of the Fight” will be happening in New York City on October 7th!

Don’t miss TAG’s tentpole event of the year! Join the big conversations, share your bold ideas, and get perspective-shaping insight from the leaders of our industry, all in one room!

Keep up-to-date on the latest sessions, speakers and news about the event here: tagtoday.net/state-of-the-fight. (Password in Member's inboxes!)

From “World Cup Illegal Streaming Sites Have Ad Revenue Cut Off in Latest Crackdown” in The Athletic (NYT):

Nearly 1,400 illegal World Cup streaming sites have had their advertising revenue cut off as part of the wider fight against digital piracy.

The move to deprive the pirates of advertising dollars has been led by the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG), a non-profit created by the global advertising industry to fight ad-related crime.

And it comes less than a week after the U.S. Department of Justice seized nearly 400 sites that were streaming pirated World Cup content as part of its “Operation Offsides” campaign. …

TAG used its network of members — the world’s largest ad tech providers, agencies, brands and publishers — to compile a “pirate domain exclusion list” which it then shared with partners across the digital advertising supply chain to block the release of funds to those sites. In total, 1,376 sites have been “demonetised.”

From “TAG Demonetizes Ad Spend on Pirate World Cup Sites” in MediaPost:

As part of a coordinated effort to "demonetize" ad spending on piracy sites illegally appropriating content from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the ad industry's Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) this morning announced it has cut the flow of ad dollars to 1,376 such sites.

TAG compiled the list through contributions from industry partners and members of its AdSec Threat Exchange, which in turn have been shared with advertisers, media buyers and "key intermediaries" across the digital ad supply chain via TAG's Pirate Domain Exclusion List.

From “Why TAG Matters in Digital Advertising” in the ABC UK Blog:

By bringing together advertisers, agencies, publishers and ad technology providers, TAG delivers shared frameworks for tackling fraud, strengthening brand safety, increasing transparency and reducing malicious activity. Independent validation and certification, enables companies to demonstrate that the right controls, processes and internal structures are in place. …

TAG’s 2025 Impact & Compliance Report points to clear evidence that shared standards can deliver measurable benefits across the industry. It reports that anti-fraud initiatives helped European advertisers avoid €3.45 billion in potential ad fraud losses, that high-value threat intelligence sharing through the Malvertising Threat Exchange increased by 82% year on year and that its Data Centre IP list ended 2025 with nearly 68 million IP addresses.

The same report also highlights broader quality gains across the ecosystem. TAG cites ANA benchmark findings that marketers reclaimed US$13.6 billion in value, that made-for-advertising spend fell below 0.5%, and that 99.1% of ad spend was placed in low-risk environments. …

Market expectations are also tightening. In the UK, the IAB Gold Standard explicitly incorporates TAG Brand Safety requirements as part of its wider framework for improving the digital advertising experience. IAB UK also states that Gold Standard advertiser supporters pledge to work with Gold Standard certified digital ad suppliers wherever possible.

That is important. Certification is no longer simply a signal of good intent. Increasingly, it is part of how buyers assess whether a supplier is aligned with the standards expected in premium digital trading environments.

Team TAG are always looking to connect with the TAG Community wherever they are! In 2026, are planning to be at the below listed events:

MAD//Fest
July 7th - 11th
London, UK

ANA Digital and Social Media Conference
July 8th-10th
Los Angeles, US

Advertising Week NYC
October 5th - 8th
New York City, US

ANA Masters of Marketing
October 20th
Orlando (Florida), US

Keep Up-To-Date With The Working Group Brief

TAG's working groups are a crucial source point of conversation and collaboration for digital advertising. Make sure you stay up to date with the latest progress and developments with the Workin Group Brief. 

Read the latest Working Group Brief 👉 tagtoday.net/working-groups

Leverage TAG Research into Your Everyday!

From APAC Fraud Snapshot reports, to UK Brand Safety Consumer reports, to Best Practices whitepapers, TAG's research is here to support our member's day-to-day compliance as well as strategic planning. 

Visit our Data and Insight page 👉 tagtoday.net/insights

Let's Make Some Noise Together 🤝

We love it when TAG members highlight our work together to fight digital ad crime and improve transparency. Please send any TAG-related press releases, blogs, or other announcements to Andrew Weinstein at andrewwstn@gmail.com for review before release.