incrediBILL - 8:55 am on Apr 6, 2005 (gmt 0)

the supplier has the right to knowingly defraud you

That's the point nobody seems to get - the SUPPLIER isn't the problem

There are non PPC alternatives like AdBrite that solve the problem, fraud would be REAL hard there.

Therefore, YOU as a consumer can choose to pick the medium with inherent flaws because the bubble gum, rubber bands and bandaids that holds the internet together doesn't provide the tools to properly authenticate and track improper behavior (and even if it did would have workarounds), or you can pick an alternative that isn't as ripe a target.

Heck, I've been in the ecommerce game since the beginning and for tighter security we couldn't even lock a customer IP address to his shopping cart during secure SSL checkout thanks to AOL's SSL modem pool switching IPs every 5-10 minutes and this seemed like a SIMPLE security precaution and easy to implement - WRONG!

What chance does Google have tracking all the possible fraud given this internet hodge-podge?

IMHO the suit is frivoulous given the current state of internet technology and punishing someone because they are working to the best of their capacity within this hacked together environment is ludicrous.

Even more ludicrous are all those crying "Google should tell us how they detect invalid clicks! Open up, stop the secrets!" - OK, real genius's at work on that one, let's just get Google to tell us what they do to defend click fraud already so everyone knows how to defeat it. Assuming this lawsuit isn't dismissed as sour grapes or settled quietly (bad idea, only more will follow), if this information hits open court all hell will break loose in the CPC world.