Are tracking URLs with AdSense allowed?

Came across a site using them on some pages

[richmondsteve]

I was looking at a web directory site, and noticed that they are using tracking URLs on some of their pages (I found a few pages that do use traditional direct Google URLs).

If you mouse over nearly any of the sponsored links in any of the directories and copy/paste the URL you'll see a URL that begins:

http*://ads.widgetdirectory.com/ad_click.fcgi?f=google/dir/dir/&t=<googleadservices.com URL><AdwordsAdvertiser-url>&<more-parameters>

It appears that they're using the Premium Service and I'm aware that means they play by a different set of rules, but I hadn't seen tracking URLs used by any AdSense partners before. Has anyone else?

This allows "WidgetDirectory" to track every single click so they'd be able to analyze performance based on IP, directory (page), and ad. I don't think I need to elaborate on how useful such information could be.

[edited by: Jenstar at 9:47 am (utc) on Nov. 18, 2003]
[edit reason] Widgetized URL & references [/edit]

[Jenstar]

It definitely isn't a regular publisher. And it could be a new testing style of premium publisher, but the coding just doesn't match up with how a premium publisher's code is inserted.

googleadservices.com is the Adwords conversion tracking URL for AdSense. And the links appear to be static, rather than generated on the fly. This could potentially mean that someone who has pulled a campaign or paused it could still have these ads out there - and if the advertiser doesn't pay for it, then this directory site wouldn't be paid for the clicks either.

There does seem to be something unusual about this site's linking to the Adwords ads. An AdSense advertiser trying to trick the system? Or perhaps something Google is beta testing to allow directory sites to show sponsored listings? The ads were very similar to the sponsored listings from Adwords that appear at the top of the Google serps.