What is ads.txt?
Ads.txt stands for Authorized Digital Sellers and is a simple, flexible, and secure method for publishers and distributors to declare who is authorized to sell their inventory, improving transparency for programmatic buyers. By creating a public record of Authorized Digital Sellers, ads.txt will create greater transparency in the inventory supply chain and give publishers more control over their inventory in the market, making it harder for bad actors to profit from selling counterfeit inventory across the ecosystem. As publishers adopt ads.txt, buyers will be able to more easily identify the Authorized Digital Sellers for a participating publisher, allowing brands to have confidence they are buying authentic publisher inventory.
For more background see:
IAB ads.txt FAQ here: https://iabtechlab.com/ads-txt-about/
How to create an ads.txt file for publishers
What problems is this intended to address?
Adoption of ads.txt can help prevent domain spoofing and the sale of unauthorized inventory by providing a simple way for demand-side platforms (DSPs) to check if inventory from a particular source has been authorized for sale by the domain owner.
What are the Publisher IDs for my domain to put in the ad call that you send to buyers?
If you are already registered with Disqus, you may view your Ads.txt lines here. If you are not yet registered, you may view the lines at https://disqus.com/ads.txt.
What is a Publisher ID?
Disqus has a unique Publisher ID for each ad provider that we work with; this helps to identify Disqus specifically as the provider of this ad inventory. A Publisher ID is the ID associated with a Disqus’ account on an exchange or SSP platform. As a best practice this ID is transmitted as part of the ad call as the Publisher.ID along with the Publisher.Domain in the Publisher object.
Where is the latest ads.txt file from Disqus?
When logged in with your admin account, you can locate your latest file here. We recommend that you update this file on a monthly basis.
How do I implement an ads.txt file for my site?
Please see our implementation guide for further instructions.
Will you send me the Publisher ID that corresponds to our integrations, for all sites?
Yes, see the actual ads.txt file itself.
Are there any other Publisher ID’s that are connected to our account?
No, there is only one Publisher ID and it will remain the same.
Can I have consent to expose these IDs on our sites via ads.txt?
Yes, you can expose any information that is in Disqus’ ads.txt file via your own implementation of ads.txt.
Why should I support ads.txt?
By publishing an ads.txt file, you are indicating which parties are authorized to sell your inventory. As enforcement becomes widespread, this will make it harder for unauthorized parties to spoof your inventory leading to more spend on your legitimate inventory.