Published Work

For nearly a decade, Shailin Dhar's writing and research have helped define how the ad-tech and measurement industries understand non-human traffic, data integrity, and digital accountability.

His work combines investigative depth with technical clarity; often revealing what others overlooked in the automated layers of the internet.

2023

Transparency, Money, and Metrics (A Marketer's Guide to Digital Advertising)

An exploration of how financial incentives and opaque data flows shape the marketing industry's dependence on unverifiable metrics.

2021

RapidFire - OTT Research

Study of automated traffic patterns within over-the-top (OTT) and connected-TV environments.

2020

In Plain Sight

Examination of persistent ad fraud and measurement opacity within "brand-safe" environments.

2018

The Bots Continue to Steal Christmas

A recurring investigation tracking the surge of bot traffic during peak advertising seasons.

2017

Criteo Report (Leaked)

Independent technical analysis of a leaked Criteo document, shedding light on the complexity of measurement manipulation in retargeting ecosystems.

2016

Uncommon Sense for Adtech

Early analysis of structural blind spots in programmatic advertising and digital measurement systems.

Mystery Shopping Inside the Ad-Verification Bubble

A field test revealing discrepancies between ad-verification vendor claims and real-world performance.

WFA Compendium of Knowledge on Ad Fraud(co-author)

Contribution to the World Federation of Advertisers' foundational industry guide to identifying and reducing ad fraud risk.

AdFraud in Our Own Backyard

Report exposing domestic traffic laundering networks and their role in inflating media value.