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Fox News host Dan Bongino earned himself a Google Ads ban too
Days after he was permanently banned from YouTube, Dan Bongino has also lost his ability to earn revenue from Google ads.
Extortionists threaten sites with bad traffic to make Google ban ads
A creative extortion scheme is threatening websites with revenue loss by unleashing bad traffic that activates Google's AdSense anti-fraud systems, according to Krebs on Security. First, a fraudster threatens to flood the publisher's site with sketchy bot traffic. Then, Google's AdSense anti-fraud systems would pick up on that traffic and suspend the user's AdSense account. Naturally, all you have to do to make this problem go away is pay said fraudster $5,000 in bitcoin.
Google appeals $1.7 billion EU fine over restrictive ad contracts
As was expected, Google is appealing a €1.49 billion ($1.7 billion) fine laid against it by the European Commission related to its AdSense advertising business. Antitrust officials found that, in contracts with major sites between 2006 and 2016, Google included restrictive contracts that could be seen as it trying to muscle rivals out of the market.
EU fines Google $1.7 billion for 'abusive' advertising practices
The European Commission has fined google €1.49 billion ($1.69 billion) over what it calls "abusive practices in online advertising." That's on top of the $5 billion and $2.4 billion fines it slapped on the search giant in 2018 and 2017. Competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Google "shielded itself from competitive pressure" via exclusive advertising contracts with publishers. Google did this mainly through its AdSense service, which dominated 70 percent of the market in Europe over a 10 year period.
Google uses AI to place ads across the internet
Google's ubiquitous AdSense ads are already heavily automated by their nature (they're targeted based on a look at a site's content), but it's taking that hands-off approach one step further. The search firm has officially launched Auto Ads, a system that uses machine learning to not only determine the types of ads you see, but how they're placed. The AI technology will decide how many ads are appropriate for a page and where to put them. Advertisers have to give up control, but Google has bet that they won't mind the results. A long beta test saw publishers rake in an average of 10 percent more revenue.
Google is restricting AdSense ads on fake-news sites
Google made headlines recently about the top search result for 'final election numbers' being patently false. Now the company is going to keep fake-news sites from using its nigh-ubiquitous AdSense program according to the Wall Street Journal. In a statement, the search giant says that as part of an update to its publisher policies, that it will restrict ad serving on websites that "misrepresent, misstate or conceal information about the publisher, the publisher's content, or the primary purpose" of the site.
Google slams EU's antitrust claims against AdSense and Shopping
Back in April, the European Commission started its Google antitrust inquiry looking into Android development. But a few months later it broadened the probe into investigating whether the search giant abused its control of AdSense and comparison shopping results to push its own products over others. Today, Google firmly rejected the allegations as lacking evidence, stating that the EU's vision of online shopping just doesn't mesh with reality.
Google's fast mobile pages coming (with ads) in early 2016
Google revealed the "AMP" endeavor last month to accelerate mobile page-loading times, the slowness of which is a huge user bone of contention. It now says the fast-loading mobile pages will hit search results by early next year, and also gave more details about the project's raison d'etre: ads. The list of partners supporting the effort include its own AdSense, Outbrain and AOL, Engadget's parent company. The AMP project will cut mobile data use and wait times, but Google's not just being altruistic -- it's trying to curb ad-blockers, which heavily impact the company's ad revenue. Apple recently gave ad-blockers a big boost when it revealed it would support them for Safari on iOS 9.
Official Google AdSense app hits the App Store
Google has released an official AdSense app, so users can now conveniently check their ad-based earnings and other pertinent AdSense data. The app is somewhat limited to the extent that users can't make any fundamental changes to their account via the mobile app. The app description reads: The AdSense app provides an easy way to access key data from your AdSense account. Access reporting features anywhere, directly from your iPhone. The first version of the app gives you access to: the key earnings information, top custom and URL channels, ad units and sites reports, payment alerts. While Google notes that the app is optimized for the iPhone 5, it will work on devices as old as the iPhone 3GS. Note, though, that the app requires iOS 6 or later. As one would expect from Google, the app is free.
Google retires more services, consolidates others in continued efficiency bid
When you run as many services as Google does, every once in a while you're going to have to do some pruning. Evidently Mountain View's got the secateurs out, having just announced the next batch of its projects that will be getting axed wound down. For the chop are: AdSense for Feeds, Classic Plus, Spreadsheet Gadgets, Places for Android, and +1 Reports in Webmaster Tools. Other services are being merged into existing properties to prevent overlap, such as Google Storage for Picasa and Drive -- which are now consolidated -- and Insights for Search is now part of Google Trends. Naturally, the search giant claims this is all about streamlining, and improving other core products. If the retired service involves a paid subscription, or legacy data, then you'll need to check the specifics on the official blog to find out how this will affect you, which fortunately for you, is just a tap of the source link away. [Image Credit: Shutterstock]
Google to face €295 million French lawsuit over alleged anti-competitive practices
Google's legal woes are piling up in a hurry. French search engine 1PlusV is suing El Goog over alleged anti-competitive practices, less than a week after the Federal Trade Commission opened a formal inquiry into similar accusations levied stateside. The suit, set to be filed in a Paris court this week, claims that Google uses its market dominance to bury rival search results while unfairly promoting those for its own services. According to 1PlusV, Google "black-listed" 30 of its vertical search engines between 2007 and 2010, making it difficult for the firm to compete. The company is also complaining about having to adopt Mountain View's technology in order to use AdSense and, in total, is seeking €295 million (about $418 million) in damages -- the largest damage claim Google has ever faced in Europe. 1PlusV operates the legal search group EJustice.fr and, along with Microsoft, helped spur an EU antitrust probe against Google last year. The company says its forthcoming lawsuit represents the "logical" next step in its ongoing antitrust crusade, while Google issued a brief statement, saying it "look[s] forward to explaining this."
Nexus One Dock to cost $45, imminently available?
What's this? Another Google ad heralding the imminent launch of a gadget desirable? We're guessing yes just as those Apple ads preemptively signaled the launch of refreshed Macs and new Mighty Mouse. Engadget reader Geoff spotted the YouTube ad above that clearly shows the Nexus One Dock being available... and for "only $45!" For that tidy tithe you'll get a charged phone and the ability to kick off a slideshow -- presumably the "and more" refers to Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and AV tethering we saw in the FCC filing. We give this one a week, tops, before it's available for purchase. P.S. Don't feel bad, we tried to click the play button too. [Thanks, Geoff]
Google AdSense leaks Apple's refreshed iMac, Mac mini, MacBook?
This one is for all you online tea leaf readers and Apple SKU / crystal ball aficionados: Further confirming our suspicion that something more affordable may be on the horizon, Google AdSense this weekend started serving users in the Netherlands with ads for new iMacs, MacBooks, and Mac minis. Pointing to a dead link at the country's Apple Store, the ads read (via Google Translate): "Apple's Newest MacBook. Thinner, lighter and faster! Free delivery. Order today," "The Brand new iMac. Ultra Thin 20 & 24 inch models. From only €1099 (roughly $1,603). Apple Store," and "Apple's New Mac mini. Faster and more affordable than ever. From only € 499 ($723). Order immediately." (For a little perspective, that's €100 ($145) less than the cheapest Mac mini currently on the Netherlands online store.) Granted, whenever peeping purported translations from foreign tipsters we're always half-afraid that we're actually reading Celine Dion lyrics or dialogue from Caddyshack, but this one seems to be the real deal -- for whatever that's worth. Update: Apple's "New Mighty Mouse" advertised as well. [Thanks, Ronald V.]
iWeb '08
I need to come right out and say it: I am really, really excited for iWeb and all the new .Mac changes. With the first version of iWeb, Apple didn't seem to quite 'get it' yet; everything you could build into your pages had to more or less come from your Mac desktop. In a web 2.0 world though, that just doesn't cut it for so many aspiring iWeb users. Many of us have Twitter accounts, pictures on Flickr and stuff we create at zillion of other sites that we'd like to integrate into a personal website, and iWeb 2.0 reveals that Apple finally understands this. Web Widgets Finally melding the power and ease iWeb brings to publishing your Mac's media with the rest of the internet is iWeb's arguably biggest new feature: Web Widgets. While this page is a little skimpy on details, we can now embed code snippets from the endless community sites cropping up on the web into our iWeb pages. As an awesome bonus I can't wait to see in action, iWeb also offers a live preview mode that will include these widgets, so you can see your site in action and be sure everything gels before publishing. Publish to a personal domain This feature doesn't get its own page at the new iWeb site, but hopeful iWeb power users will likely appreciate the fact that you can now publish your sites to personal domains. Details are even slimmer for this one, but it sounds like Apple finally shared some of Mac OS X's built-in FTP abilities with iWeb, allowing us to set up our own personal sites for one-click publishing.
Google looking to purchase video game ad firm
According to reports on the Wall Street Journal and CNN Money, Google has begun negotiating the purchase of AdScape Inc., a move that would allow the internet behemoth to step into the realm of in-game advertising. Though neither party has outright confirmed that such a deal is in the works, it would not seem out of place less than a year after Microsoft purchased similar ad firm, Massive Inc., for between $200 million and $400 million. Online services like Xbox Live are efficient vehicles for advertisement delivery, with connectivity allowing dynamic in-game ads tailored to specific content and user interests. Indeed, Google's contextual AdSense program would be an ideal fit, though it would remain to be seen how unobtrusive or accurate the results are. We can't wait to see the ads that come up on the virtual billboards in Chocolate Breast Explosion III or Gazpacho Ninja.
Breakfast Topic: Have your say about our ads
We've had a few discussions here about gold farming, and we're well aware that thanks to some of the keywords on this site, the Google AdSense ads displayed here can be incongruous with the message we are trying to get across. While we've had to leave the adverts as-is so far, we want your feedback on this issue, and we're prepared to act -- how important is the content of our advertisements to you?Technologically speaking, we can block certain ads based on their URLs, but as more sites spread and more domains spring up, this isn't going to help too much. Of course, we know that most of you aren't going to buy gold, so if you do click on the adverts you're costing the gold sellers money -- doing this, and making advertising expensive for them, could be one way to combat the problem.What would you do in our position?
iWeb Enhancer 1.0
Awesome: Chad Brantly has created a small add-on app for iWeb that can insert all sorts of blogging goodness into your sites such as Flickr pics, AdSense, YouTube videos, blogrolls and more.I haven't tried this out yet, but one word of caution: due to what I would assume could be iWeb's unfriendly plugin architecture, the process for inserting any of these little addons is a little wonky. Don't fear it though, as Chad walks you through the short operation on his site.All things considered, iWeb Enhancer still seems like the easiest and most feature-enabling iWeb addon I've seen to date. Go check it out if you've been looking for a few of those blogging extras to complete your iWeb-powered sites.
