TAG Launches First-Of-Its-Kind Initiative to Cut Off Pirate Ad Revenue from Stolen FIFA World Cup Streams

TAG and Ad Supply Chain Partners Demonetizing 1,376 Illegal World Cup Streaming and Content Sites; TAG Efforts Reinforce "Operation Offsides" Domain Takedown Announced by US DOJ on Friday

WASHINGTON, June 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- TAG, a non-profit created by the global advertising industry to fight ad-related criminal activity and address other supply chain challenges, today announced a groundbreaking cross-industry initiative to cut off advertising revenue to 1,376 digital piracy sites providing illegal streams or other content stolen from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

"Global sporting events like the World Cup are prime targets for criminals who try to intercept legitimate ad dollars by stealing popular streaming content," said Rachel Nyswander Thomas, Chief Operating Officer of TAG. "The TAG AdSec Threat Exchange has created as an early-warning system to identify and block ad revenue to websites that are profiting from stolen content, and this first-of-its-kind initiative allows us to fight those criminals in near-real time by cutting off the flow of ad dollars to the content thieves targeting the World Cup."

TAG compiled the list through contributions from industry partners and members of the TAG AdSec Threat Exchange, the leading forum for sharing advertising-related threat intelligence. TAG has shared the sites through its Pirate Domain Exclusion List (PDEL) with key intermediaries across the digital advertising supply chain to prevent ad dollars from reaching those illegitimate sites.

TAG's demonetization efforts provide a powerful and complementary mechanism to the seizure of 400 pirate domains announced by the US Department of Justice on Friday as part of "Operation Offsides," in which TAG was also a participant. While they share common sources, the pirate domains seized by the government are distinct from the pirate domains that are being demonetized through TAG's efforts.

In addition to the newly demonetized domains, TAG also identified an additional 176 domains trafficking in stolen World Cup that were already on its PDEL list.

TAG's PDEL provides advertisers, agencies, and ad tech platforms with a regularly updated catalog of known piracy domains, enabling them to decide whether to automatically exclude those sites from programmatic advertising campaigns. The list is one of TAG's most widely used anti-piracy tools and a core component of the organization's broader effort to ensure that advertising investment flows only to legitimate, brand-appropriate content environments.

About TAG
TAG is the leading global initiative dedicated to fighting criminal activity and increasing trust in digital advertising. TAG works toward these goals by setting industry standards, sharing threat intelligence, and fostering cross-industry dialogue to spur collaboration and innovation. TAG Certification Programs raise the bar on industry efforts to reduce fraudulent traffic, strengthen brand safety, increase transparency, and share information on new and emerging threats. TAG's compliance tools support companies in meeting the industry's rigorous standards, while its threat intelligence efforts deliver actionable insights to fortify the digital ad industry's collective defenses. By uniting the expertise and thought leadership of the hundreds of companies in the TAG Community, TAG helps the industry confront rapidly changing challenges and protect the integrity of the advertising ecosystem worldwide.

TAG is also the first and only Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (ISAO) for the digital advertising industry, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security designation that identifies TAG as the primary forum for sharing threat intelligence in the industry.

Media Contact:
Andrew Weinstein
202-667-4967
[email protected]

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SOURCE TAG (Trustworthy Accountability Group)

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