In the typical top US app, 22% of "DIRECT" seller lines conflict with public supply-chain data.
The ads.txt specification defines DIRECT as an account the publisher directly controls. We found 3,392 accounts marked DIRECT in the files of 3 or more unrelated companies, and DIRECT accounts that ad systems' own sellers.json lists as intermediaries. Everything here comes from public files, with line-level evidence.
Grade distribution
1408 graded apps. Grades scale with the share of problem lines, so big files aren't punished for size.
Most common issues
Share of graded apps with at least one occurrence.
By genre
Median share of an app's DIRECT lines that are inconsistent with public data. Genres with 5+ graded apps.
Every graded app, with its findings and evidence, is in the full list.
Ad systems whose lines can't be fully verified
Of 1187 ad systems authorized by 3+ developers, only 732 have a readable sellers.json that contains most of the account IDs apps list. Lines for the rest can't be fully verified from public data. All ad systems →
| Ad system domain that doesn't resolve | Developers listing it | Lines |
|---|---|---|
| engagebdr.com | 294 | 2,205 |
| districtm.io | 285 | 707 |
| gamoshi.io | 206 | 872 |
| ylhglobal.com | 186 | 202 |
| reforge.in | 147 | 373 |
| showcaesad.com | 64 | 65 |
| antipodesdigital.live | 61 | 75 |
| dmixer.co.kr | 57 | 64 |
| adne.tv | 48 | 68 |
| acex.adprime.com | 47 | 48 |
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