Sounds like the terms of service for Google’s AdSense suck
Sounds like the terms of service for Google’s AdSense suck. Google is paying for *our* services…we should be able to dictate the terms, not them
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Reader comments
WilhelmOct 02, 2003 at 5:44PM
Wait, you mean every time someone gives me money to do something, I should get to dictate the terms of the contract? I'll try that line out on my employers today!
There's a really simple way to avoid the TOS for AdSense...don't sign up for AdSense.
Mr. NosuchOct 03, 2003 at 10:41AM
Seems like AdSense can be sabotaged quite easily. An irate site visitor can just slam the ad links until it sets off the magic Google Fraud-o-meter.
You are left with no recourse, and no more ad income.
Anything on the Internet that depends on everyone playing nicey nice is doomed to fail.
Jon GalesOct 03, 2003 at 2:14PM
I think they tie fraud alert to the IP's that you check your stats with... That way you can't make $20 by being click-happy.
Jim CueneOct 03, 2003 at 3:31PM
You know, I read the posts on Russ' site and I looked at the excerpts from the T & C. I'm no lawyer, but my first read is that it's pretty standard, boilerplate stuff. If you were Google you'd want to protect yourself from fraud (it would be easy to create fake clicks) and you wouldn't want to have to explain how you know they were fake, unless you showed up in court.
And, as for the statement "not allowing any site using Google AdSense .... to comment on the Terms and Conditions that brought about the termination", I respectfully disagree with Jason's reading of the contract. I think the key is how "public statement" is interpreted. I know a press release is a public statement, but does a post on my not-so-widely read website constitute a public statement? And I think we need to see Google's action on this clause, too. When they start shutting down sites because the owners are complaining about the service, then there's a problem. Has that happened yet? Or, are the complaints a result of the service cancellation? Just wondering....
dowingbaOct 04, 2003 at 3:43PM
So I can go to the library and make $20 for being click-happy?
JosephOct 05, 2003 at 2:29AM
Furthermore, there is the rather pressing concern of: how does Adsense determine relevance when everybody using it is just blogging about Adsense?
SimonOct 06, 2003 at 2:54AM
(Assuming they identify IPs, in order to prevent fraud.) Does this mean I can be kicked from the program because they recognise I (my IP) frequent blogs with negative Google comment on? Or is it paranoid to assume they're watching me... watching all the time... ohhh the eyes...
Weinberg Gregg Feb 28, 2004 at 8:21AM
The Tao's principle is spontaneity.
This thread is closed to new comments. Thanks to everyone who responded.