Google Now Blocking Websites With Fake Download Buttons

[CCarter]

Looks like Google's starting to act on what we were discussing in the Arbitrage "List" Sites - The Dirty Little Secret thread and in Trankuility's Journal.

Example used by Google of what will be blocked:

Some majors like CNet and SourceForge will be effected, but also I figure all these people out here messing with me when I tried to figure out where the download button is on a page are going to get hit hard:

Google has now started blocking websites that use deceptive content or ads to make you do things that you wouldn't normally do, such as fake download buttons that appear right next to the real download button, or pop-ups demanding you phone tech support to remove a million malware infections that were apparently found on your computer. It sounds like this will be a gradual rollout; it'll take time for Google to work out which sites are consistent offenders.

The blocking will occur via Google's Safe Browsing tech, which you've probably seen before: it's that big red interstitial that appears when you click on a dodgy search result. Safe Browsing has been around for years, but it mostly just prevented you from visiting sites that were serving up malware, or sites that Google had otherwise deemed unsafe.

In November, however, Google started blocking sites that used "social engineering attacks" to get you to install unwanted software or reveal sensitive information—and today, Google is expanding that to websites that serve up deceptive embedded content (i.e. adverts). Google gives the following examples of ads that will get a website blocked:

Sauce: Google now blocking websites that show fake download buttons

This is obviously a two-edge sword. It's great for users cause I don't have to get confused and get the content I want. But anyone that was making money off if this, well that game is coming to an end. But if you really think about it if you have to deceive people to generate revenue at some point that money is going to dry up.

When Google talks about adblockers they stated that adblockers were the symptom of the problem, and it was because they just let anyone in and allowed them to do doing crazy shit that users got frustrated. Now publishers are having their day of reckoning - first with the rise of adblockers and now with Google starting to clamp down on these bad experiences. The question is for those playing the game, how long until the music stops? One solution I always recommend is to continue collecting your emailing list, cause you'll be able to contact those visitors and have them become repeat visitors just in case some temporary block happens.

 

[Potatoe]

Great news for consumers, for the webmasters who will now occupy those SERPs, and a happy little bonus for Google in that it takes food off the plate of other ad networks and webmasters who don't use adsense. Seems like a no-brainer.

 

[built]

I hope next will be pop-unders etc

 

[backwoods]

Wow, the DHI Group just completed the sale of SourceForge and Slashdot to Bizx LLC literally 7-days ago.

As they say, "timing is everything".

http://fossforce.com/2016/01/sourceforge-and-slashdot-have-been-sold/

Looks like SourceForge and Slashdot were doing around $15 - 16M in revenue per year.

 

[animalstyle]

This is obviously a two-edge sword. It's great for users cause I don't have to get confused and get the content I want. But anyone that was making money off if this, well that game is coming to an end. But if you really think about it if you have to deceive people to generate revenue at some point that money is going to dry up.

IMO the only way to see this is a double edged sword is you're looking at it from the perspective of someone who is taking part in this practice. Like you said, if you MUST deceive people to generate revenue and keep your business afloat then it wasn't a great choice to enter that business and head in the direction that put you in that position. Or greed.

This change keeps the online eco system moving in a positive direction. It encourages us as builders to continue to focus on providing genuine value where there is sufficient demand. The underbelly will find the next way to game the system. The quest to make it harder to scam than it is to put in extreme effort to provide extreme value is a worthwhile one in my book.

 

[miketpowell]

Wow, the DHI Group just completed the sale of SourceForge and Slashdot to Bizx LLC literally 7-days ago.

As they say, "timing is everything".

http://fossforce.com/2016/01/sourceforge-and-slashdot-have-been-sold/

Looks like SourceForge and Slashdot were doing around $15 - 16M in revenue per year.

That's because they 100% knew this was coming.

Google was the biggest network for these ads until just 6 months ago when they changed their policy. Previously you could have fake functionality in your banner (like a download button) as long as the user could perform that action on your landing page, ie download sometime. So Google was the company running all the fake download ads themselves and making money off of it.

It's only after Google stops milking something for money that they decide to protect users from it.

They were hurting big soon as that change was made 6 months ago and were scrambling to sell before this next hammer dropped would be my guess.

 

[CCarter]

IMO the only way to see this is a double edged sword is you're looking at it from the perspective of someone who is taking part in this practice.

I agree. I just know some folks on here are still playing on the darkside and the light is creeping towards them and they aren't moving to fix their problems. It's a bit disheartening seeing people wait till AFTER they run off a cliff, like in the cartoons, and you are going on momentum until you realize there is no more road underneath you and the only thing left is gravity coming at you. Wile E. Coyote style...

 

[Ryuzaki]

The ONLY thing I liked about these ads was, whether Adsense or any other network or even just redirection buttons, was how they were employed on Torrent sites and sites of that nature.

They were basically a deterrent against people who would ruin the ability to Torrent in the long-run. There's a phrase of some sort... "If you can't figure it out, it's not meant for you."

To have some random person land on a torrent site and be confronted with 10 download buttons, 4 magnet buttons, 4 download banners, etc... it was beautiful. They'd learn their lesson real fast and downloading and executing that .exe.

I found that humorous. But all in all, this kind of advertisement has zero place in a network that is moderated and meant to be trustworthy. @miketpowell nailed it. Google sucked it dry for as long as they could then blamed it on the advertisers.

 

[animalstyle]

Agreed that it is disheartening to watch that. I've never ran on that side of the fence so my perspective is skewed.

I understand building your life on a foundation that you had no idea was weak and watching it fall out from under you is a sad thing. Building your life on a foundation you know is shit and then having it fall out from under you is a different story. You won't find any sympathy from me for the latter.

This is one of the biggest reasons to belong to a humble, educated, and driven social group of like-minded individuals. If someone heads off in the wrong direction or starts acting up, the rest of the group can be a safety net. I think BuSo is a shining example of that.

 

[CCarter]

how they were employed on Torrent sites and sites of that nature

CNet or SourceForge aren't torrent site though. Why they were playing that game is beyond me... Well I know why...

 

[Ryuzaki]

Aaaand there's now an official penalty for this now. "Social Engineering Content" penalty. It's being sent out in Webmaster Tools' notifications.

This is one of the few places where I'm glad Google is doing this, but I'm under no delusion that it isn't because it makes their jobs harder having to refund invalid traffic clicks.