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This is answered in the article!

It’s not. The article simply assumes that actions that the ad networks don’t like are somehow “illicit”, without providing a rationale.

These guys are delivering ads for Lexus to moviepiracy.com by using an intermediate server that obscures the actual target site. Lexus doesn't want its brand associated with these types of sites and would normally prevent this from happening. Intermediary collects the money.

I know some people that made tons of money simply for setting up the arbitrage, shell companies that would sell ad space to big brands promising top tier media orgs and then turn around and buy it directly from porn, gaming and piracy sites.

Same thing as this article, but without actually building the technology themselves, simply being the middleman.

Officially Lexus doesn’t want that, in reality, they care about sales.

They’ll be upset if this “gray” traffic doesn’t convert well, but Lexus buyers just might be the type with the disposable income for gambling.

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