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Meet The Spider AF Team, Pedro Rosa
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Ad Fraud 101
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March 17, 2025

Meet The Spider AF Team, Pedro Rosa

Welcome to our 'Meet the Spider AF Team' series! This time, we're showcasing one of our talented Software Engineers tirelessly working to fight fraud, Pedro. Get to know his background, his role at Spider AF, and what makes him a valuable member of our team.

In this article

01
What is a click farm?
01
What is a click farm?
01
What is a click farm?
01
What is a click farm?
01
What is a click farm?
Quick take · 30-second version

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

My name is Pedro, I was born and raised in a little town called S. Pedro do Estoril with my grandparents and my mom in Portugal. I love to surf, play sports (both electronic & regular sports), and spent time with my little kid (Benjamin), my girlfriend, and my friends.

What inspired you to pursue a career in your field?

Since I was a little kid I had a lot of contact with video games, starting with my first console, the PlayStation. The consoles always amazed me because I couldn't figure out how they created games. So that was what led me to find Computer Science more and more interesting growing up.

Can you share a proud moment or accomplishment in Spider AF so far?

I'm proud of working at this company each and every day :) 

What’s a fun fact about you that many people may not know?

I did Taekwondo, Boxing & Kickboxing, and also Dancing.

How do you like to spend your weekends or time off?

I usually spend my weekends with my little Benjamim and also surfing.

How would you describe the culture at Spider AF?

In two words, I would say the people at Spider AF are ‘people oriented’.

Where is the best place you have visited?

I would say Vietnam. All of the places I visited there were super beautiful.

What is the best career lesson you have learned so far?

Always keep learning because technology won't stop for you.

If you had a podcast who would your first guest be (past or present)

I would invite Bob Marley (to b*tch at him about why he didn't treat himself, would have loved to see a concert of him)

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FAQ

People also ask.

Q 01 Are click farms illegal? +
In most jurisdictions, click farms violate ad-network terms of service and consumer-protection laws — but enforcement is patchy and cross-border. The FTC has taken action against fake-engagement operations, and Japan's METI has issued guidance treating fake reviews and bot traffic as deceptive practices. The practical reality: legal action is slow; technical blocking is fast.
Q 02 How is a click farm different from a botnet? +
Click farms typically use real humans (or human-supervised devices) to evade behavioral detection — they pass CAPTCHAs, mimic mouse movement, even simulate purchase journeys. Botnets are fully automated and easier to fingerprint. Modern fraud usually blends both: bots for volume, human "supervisors" for the high-value clicks.
Q 03 Can Google Ads or Meta detect click farms on their own? +
Both networks credit obviously-invalid clicks, but their detection runs on aggregated, post-hoc statistical signals — they refund days or weeks later. By then, your bidding algorithms have already optimized toward the polluted data. Independent, real-time detection at the click layer is what closes the loop.
Q 04 Will blocking click-farm traffic hurt my reach? +
No. Blocking invalid clicks only removes traffic that was never going to convert. The downstream effect is usually the opposite — your bidding model gets cleaner training signal and starts spending more on audiences that actually convert.
Q 05 How fast can Spider AF block click-farm traffic? +
Sub-200ms detection at the click event, with auto-sync to Google, Meta, TikTok, and Microsoft exclusion lists in seconds. Most accounts see meaningful blocking within 24 hours of installing the tag.

Meet The Spider AF Team, Pedro Rosa

Welcome to our 'Meet the Spider AF Team' series! This time, we're showcasing one of our talented Software Engineers tirelessly working to fight fraud, Pedro. Get to know his background, his role at Spider AF, and what makes him a valuable member of our team.
Table of Contents

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

My name is Pedro, I was born and raised in a little town called S. Pedro do Estoril with my grandparents and my mom in Portugal. I love to surf, play sports (both electronic & regular sports), and spent time with my little kid (Benjamin), my girlfriend, and my friends.

What inspired you to pursue a career in your field?

Since I was a little kid I had a lot of contact with video games, starting with my first console, the PlayStation. The consoles always amazed me because I couldn't figure out how they created games. So that was what led me to find Computer Science more and more interesting growing up.

Can you share a proud moment or accomplishment in Spider AF so far?

I'm proud of working at this company each and every day :) 

What’s a fun fact about you that many people may not know?

I did Taekwondo, Boxing & Kickboxing, and also Dancing.

How do you like to spend your weekends or time off?

I usually spend my weekends with my little Benjamim and also surfing.

How would you describe the culture at Spider AF?

In two words, I would say the people at Spider AF are ‘people oriented’.

Where is the best place you have visited?

I would say Vietnam. All of the places I visited there were super beautiful.

What is the best career lesson you have learned so far?

Always keep learning because technology won't stop for you.

If you had a podcast who would your first guest be (past or present)

I would invite Bob Marley (to b*tch at him about why he didn't treat himself, would have loved to see a concert of him)

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