INTERNET MEDIA: Asia-Pacific gets first Internet audit service

<p>PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has launched an Internet audit service </p><p>to ensure that website operators provide advertisers with accurate </p><p>information about the number and types of people who visit their </p><p>sites. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The Web Ad Delivery Audit is the first independent audit system to be </p><p>set up in Asia-Pacific which can check the effectiveness of the online </p><p>ad delivery process in cyberspace. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Currently, Internet audience information is provided by Web operators or </p><p>advertising sales networks or via surveys. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Not only do advertisers want to know how many people are visiting </p><p>certain sites and what their demographic make-up is but they want to be </p><p>sure that the information they are given is as accurate and as reliable </p><p>as can be," said Marcel Fenez, partner of the PricewaterhouseCoopers </p><p>Technology, Info-Coms and Entertainment Practice, which developed the </p><p>new hi-tech audit system. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It, therefore, was in the interest of dotcom companies to subscribe to </p><p>independent audits in order to increase their competitive advantage, he </p><p>added. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The Web Ad Delivery Audit is more sophisticated than the current </p><p>Internet audience measurement, which is simply a log recounting process, </p><p>said Mr Fenez. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>By conducting a fully independent analysis of the systems and processes </p><p>surrounding the end-to-end ad delivery process, PwC offers a service </p><p>akin to an audit of circulation figures of the print media. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"We examine the entire system of dotcom companies and check to see that </p><p>the security and controls are adequate to stop people from tampering </p><p>with the data list of people who have visited a website," Mr Fenez </p><p>said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"If there are shortcomings, we would recommend steps the client could </p><p>take to ensure better security." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>PwC examines the controls in place during an audit. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>There is no software to continuously monitor a website to ensure </p><p>non-tampering. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, Mr Fenez said: "We assure the process, not guarantee the </p><p>numbers. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But by assuring the process, we can safely say that the chances the data </p><p>has been tampered with are extremely low." </p><p><BR><BR> </p>