Several Android apps including the popular app “Kika Keyboard” have allegedly been found to be involved in an ad fraud scheme, with the companies claiming more than 700 million active users per month for their mobile apps. The involvement was discovered when an App Analytics Firm discovered inflated download, installation and click thru rates being reported. Furthermore, there is concern that the inflated numbers were obtained by accessing data without user permission. Apps that participated in the ad fraud scheme, used the inflated numbers to receive a higher payout from Publishers and Brands, thus stealing millions of dollars. Currently, Google has yet to take any action.
For many Publishers and Brands the objective for app downloads is to verify quality and usage. While there are companies that specialize in monitoring ad fraud, this highlights the security, privacy, and ad fraud issues in the Android app ecosystem and Google Play store.
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