Won't Fix Episode 12: With Jeff Allen Co-founder & CRO of the Integrity Institute

Jeff Allen is the Co-founder and Chief Research Officer of the Integrity Institute, started in 2021. A physicist and astronomer by training, moved into data science in 2013, and has since worked all three sides of the platform-publisher relationship: for publishers chasing platform traffic, for the platforms themselves, and for political organizations navigating both.At Facebook he worked on systemic problems in the Facebook and Instagram public content ecosystems.Along with Spencer Gurley, Jeff Allen and the Institute recently published the July 2026 report which Ofcom commissioned — Fraudulent Advertising and Account Integrity: Expert Insights on Best Practice, which fed directly into Ofcom's draft Fraudulent Advertising Codes (published 10 July, consultation closes 2 October).In This Episode:Short-term ad revenue pits platform profits against user safety, making external regulation necessary to preserve long-term industry trust.Regulators need technical guidance from experts independent of Big Tech funding to build safety policies that can survive court challenges.Bad actors are using generative AI to quickly spin up realistic, multi-step scam sites that slip right past standard automated filters.Effective oversight requires a two-step system: platform self-reporting backed by independent audits from verified researchers.Scammers actively reverse engineer enforcement limits, making off-site damage and delayed user reporting persistent challenges.Chapter Timestamps:00:00 Introduction to Jeff Allen and the Integrity Institute1:46 The Integrity Institute's Mission and Approach3:29 The Scale of Online Scams and Fraudulent Advertising4:54 Regulatory Landscape and Ofcom's Role6:15 Development of the Ofcom Report10:33 Congressional Understanding and Regulatory Progress12:04 Media Coverage Challenges in Advertising15:02 Incentive Alignment and Regulatory Approach18:52 Data Access Challenges and Solutions21:40 Internal vs External Research Challenges24:07 The Sales Challenge in Data Science28:50 Specific Transparency Metrics and Market Impact32:46 Guidelines Disclosure and Adversarial Dynamics35:15 The "Three Slide Rule" and Off-Platform Harm40:17 Evolution of Fraudulent Content Creation43:23 Researcher Access and Data Requests45:25 Educational Needs and Trust and Safety CurriculumResources & Links:Integrity Institute (https://www.integrityinstitute.org/)Integrity Institute Report (https://www.integrityinstitute.org/research/response-to-ofcoms-request-for-research-on-fraudulent-advertising-and-account-integrity)Rob's Notes (https://robleathern.substack.com/p/robs-notes-47-on-ofcoms-fraudulent)Jeff Allen (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-allen-scientist/)Ofcom (https://www.ofcom.org.uk/)Rob Leathern (https://www.linkedin.com/in/leathern/)