On April 14th, Check My Ads Institute received a legal letter from counsel for DoubleVerify Holdings, Inc. demanding the preservation of documents and communications related to recent research and public advocacy concerning the placement of advertising on a website known to host Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), and the effectiveness of pre-bid bot detection and filtration technologies.
The letter makes vague accusations of defamation and other misconduct, yet demands sweeping preservation of internal and external communications, including our protected communications with government officials on matters of public concern.
We will, of course, comply with our legal obligations.
With that said, we believe the demand is overbroad, and raises serious concerns under well-established constitutional protections. As a nonprofit, independent watchdog committed to holding the digital ad industry accountable, we stand by our work and our right to speak out on matters of public interest.
Let us be clear: legal demands that chill researchers, silence watchdogs, or disrupt communications with lawmakers do not serve the industry or the public — they only reinforce the need for greater transparency and accountability in the digital advertising ecosystem.
We remain committed to our work to create a transparent and fair digital advertising market.