Phia App Co-Founded by Phoebe Gates Accused of Cookie Stuffing
The allegations, backed by independent research and Bloomberg testing, show Phia violated affiliate marketing policies by claiming credit for sales it did not drive.
Reporting from 1 source: GIGAZINE.
Investigations by Ben Edelman and Capital One Shopping found that the Phia browser extension used cookie stuffing to fraudulently claim affiliate commissions for sales it did not generate. Bloomberg tested and confirmed the practice. Phia blamed a recent release and said the issue is resolved.
The Phia browser extension, co-founded by Phoebe Gates in January 2023, helps online shoppers find discount codes. It generates revenue through affiliate commissions when users make purchases through its links.
Investigations by independent researcher Ben Edelman and competitor Capital One Shopping found that Phia was using a technique called cookie stuffing to claim credit for sales it did not actually drive. Bloomberg tested the extension on over 50 websites and reported that Phia opened background tabs during checkout without user interaction, inserting its own referral codes and overwriting those from other publishers.
Edelman, who has spent decades exposing deceptive digital advertising practices, said affiliate marketing rules require real clicks, not fake or simulated ones. Capital One Shopping expressed concern that publishers are losing revenue to Phia due to fake clicks.
Phia acknowledged the issue, attributing it to a recent release that caused incorrect attribution for some users. The company said it identified and mitigated the problem overnight and that it has been resolved.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.