| Online advertising still is rapidly booming on record highs | | | | advantage. Parties with malicious intent, on the other |
| each day. The efficiency in terms of cost and | | | | hand, harm either or both the advertiser, (even the |
| audience coverage entices *various online businesses* | | | | affiliates) and the publisher. The malicious, impertinent |
| to go on online advertising to generate high-rocketing | | | | clicks they make are aimed at political and personal |
| sales. But just like any endeavor, there is also another | | | | gains over the legitimate parties. Parties with malicious |
| side to the good story of the success of online | | | | intent are very hard to track down. Unwanted |
| advertising-- click fraud. | | | | connections of a publisher are those who are not |
| Click fraud happens in pay per click (PPC) online | | | | formally involved in the contract between the publisher |
| advertising when a web user, automated script, or | | | | and the advertiser and who do fraudulent clicks to help |
| computer program mimics a legitimate browser of a | | | | boost the gains of the publisher. This, somehow, can |
| website with the intended purpose of generating a | | | | be called an inside job. |
| fraudulent charge per click. There exists two known | | | | But these four classifications are only small in scale |
| ways of generating fraudulent clicks: manual clicking | | | | and magnitude compared to syndicates who do |
| (by humans) and automated clicking (by software). | | | | organized fraudulent clicks. Cyber syndicates do their |
| Whatever the means is, fraudulent clicks are known to | | | | dubious acts by using numerous computer units that |
| be acts of competitors and sometimes even affiliate | | | | are equipped with their own internet connections in |
| programs and traffic partners. | | | | different geographic locations. Most commonly, |
| The primary source of fraudulent, erroneous clicks is | | | | syndicates and cyber crime networks make use of |
| the PPC advertising. In PPC, the system of revenue | | | | the *Trojan code* to turn the average person's |
| sharing among the publisher, advertiser, affiliate | | | | computers into programmed-clicking machines that use |
| program, and the advertising network (acting as | | | | sporadic redirections or poisoning of domain name |
| middleman) is susceptible to rampant click fraud. The | | | | system. This then transforms the unsuspecting user's |
| identified secondary source is the non-contracting | | | | actions into actions generating revenue for the |
| parties. These non-contracting parties are not, in any | | | | syndicate. |
| way, part of any PPC agreements; fraudulent clicks | | | | Proving, litigating, or accounting of fraudulent, irrelevant |
| from this source are way harder to monitor and avoid | | | | clicks are something that are currently very difficult to |
| since culprits cannot be held legally liable for breach of | | | | do. Just like any other cyber crime, culprits behind click |
| contract. Non-contracting parties can be classified into | | | | fraud benefit from the vast anonymity in the |
| four groups: competitors of advertisers, competitors of | | | | cyberspace. The closest publishers and advertisers |
| publishers, parties with malicious intent, and unwanted | | | | can do is to employ stringent monitoring measure to at |
| connections of the publisher. Competitors of | | | | least mitigate the whooping costs of generating |
| advertisers harm advertisers in the same market by | | | | fraudulent clicks. Most companies resort to forensic |
| clicking on their advertisements. They do not profit | | | | analysis and third-party corroboration to hasten the |
| directly, but their acts directly force advertisers to pay | | | | damages of fraudulent, impertinent clicks. A forensic |
| for clicks that are essentially irrelevant. This practice | | | | analysis is an in-depth look at the source and behavior |
| weakens and eliminates a source of competition. | | | | of the clicks being made in a particular advertisement |
| Competitors of publishers are parties that do their thing | | | | or sets of advertisements. The log files that are in |
| by framing a publisher and making it appear that the | | | | custody of the advertisers are the main reference for |
| publisher is clicking on its ads. If the advertiser finds out | | | | making a forensic analysis. Third-party corroboration |
| and is deceived by the ploy, termination of the | | | | basically involves an independent body, which monitors |
| advertiser-publisher agreements usually follow. Since | | | | or probes the clicks being made on advertisements. A |
| most publishers rely solely on revenues from | | | | popular third-party which offers web-based solutions |
| advertisers, termination of their relationship then | | | | on fraudulent clicks and other cyber crimes is the |
| weakens the publishers and the competitors gain | | | | Clicks Forensics. |