Transcript

Wednesday April 23, 2008

Google Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over AdWords Input Box

Google AdWords customer David Almeida is seeking a class action lawsuit against Google, alleging the search giant has been defrauding customers by charging them for ads they don’t want. Google AdWords allows customers to bid for an amount they are willing to pay for a keyword or search phrase associated with an advertisement that costs the customer each time its clicked. The problem is that Google doesn’t make it clear that a customer must also enter a zero into a second optional box, which automatically bids for adverts on third-party sites on the Google AdSense Network, if left blank. The case accuses Google of "redefining the universally understood meaning of an input box left blank." Google said it had not been served with the lawsuit and declined to comment further.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/google/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=FIAUJQRIHPVXAQSNDLOSKHSCJUNN2JVN?articleID=207401388
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/23/web20.digitalmedia1
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/23/google_adfraud_court/
http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/04/google-hit-with.html
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ik1_EwBAOLdb1xqydqWuJA0UnlWwD9076EI00
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9925715-7.html
http://mashable.com/2008/04/22/adsense-lawsuit/
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=81227
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080423/google-sued-for-deception-adsense-business.htm
http://www.webmasterworld.com/google_adwords/3633067.htm

Media Corp Partners With Yahoo! Search Marketing

Yahoo has inked a deal with Internet firm Media Corporation to provide Yahoo search and content match advertisements across its entire publisher network of sites, which currently has over 3 million monthly users and generates over 15 million monthly advertising impressions, predominantly in the UK. Media Corp’s portfolio of websites includes a number of market leading sites including gambling.com and onthebox.com.

http://www.netimperative.com/news/2008/april/21/media-corp-partners-with-yahoo-search-marketing
http://www.bizreport.com/2008/04/yahoo_search_marketing_and_media_corp_partner.html

Google Street View In Europe

Google street view service, which allows users to see 360 degree panoramic street level views, may be expanding to Europe. Google vans with mounted cameras were recently photographed on the streets of Rome and Milan. Privacy issues have stirred controversy over the Google service, currently only available in the United States, and Google says it is prepared to comply with privacy laws as it expands its service internationally. In the US Google has, since last summer, agreed to allow people to easily request their faces or license plate be removed from photographs used by the service.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/23/europe_gets_street_view/

[edited by: Vanessa_Zamora at 10:05 pm (utc) on April 23, 2008]