Google adsense site is doing 302 hijack from our site

Site has Hi-jacked our content and is Adsence User

[RichTC]

Hi all,

Today we have filed a DMCA report with Google

A website stole our site content to boost their rankings so they could get fradulent clicks from Adsence

Apart from filing a DMCA report regarding the damage this site has done to our business following the plagiarism of our content via a 302 Hi-Jack does anyone know what else we can do about it.

Basically the problem is still ongoing, its a nightmare. Our official site, which is a quality resource on the net, that we have spent over five years building is out the google index whilst this site is cleaning up

Anyone know what other action we can take or what we should do or how else we can report this to google?

Advises appreciated

Rich

[Quadrille]

Are you sure that it's a 302?

These days, that's extremely rare; (if it happens at all) there's many other possible ripoffs, most of which have nothing whatever to do with Google, and some have very easy defenses.

Read up on copyright, and other peoples copyright problems, and how they've been advised.

[trinorthlighting]

The website rich has found is hijacking hundreds of sites to include msn.com to steal PR and has over 72,000 pages hijacked and in the index. This is a major violation of TOS for google adsense.

[RichTC]

Quadrille

Its 100% confirmed 302 HiJack - No Question about it!

This company have done this against a range of other sites. Some of which will have fallen back in the serps not knowing why!

It needs dealing with - question is what action can be taken against the offending site

[trinorthlighting]

They even hijacked google and webmasterworld!

[MThiessen]

I thought google fixed the hijacking thing...

[RichTC]

Well this site is cleaning up thats for sure!

Also, because they use proxy servers its hard to nail them down / block their ip address from hitting youre site.

Meanwhile they have brought down many sites including ours!

[Quadrille]

I was assured that, less than 48 hours ago.

This is one to watch; RichTC, I know you'll keep us informed. Something has to give ... :)

[caryl]

How do you go about detecting a 302 hijack?

[trinorthlighting]

Here is a good thread on detecting hijacks:

[webmasterworld.com...]

[jomaxx]

Please describe exactly what you are describing as a "hijack". The Google 302 problem I am aware of doesn't require proxy servers or spidering or anything like that.

I wonder if what you are seeing isn't a proxy site that has gotten the third-party pages it serves indexed. That's a separate issue from the 302 problem.

[jomaxx]

trinorthlighting stickied me the site. Not certain if this is the same site RichTC is complaining about...

As I suggested, it is a proxy site (i.e. it does not use 302's).

It doesn't appear to insert ad code or frames or anything into the pages it serves. Thus, IMO, there is no potential copyright issue.

I certainly don't see anything about the site that is against the AdSense TOS.

I agree they shouldn't allow spiders access to the proxied pages. I would suggest providing Google with some search quality feedback, and blocking the proxy access if you can identify the IP(s) the site uses.

[jomaxx]

P.S. Just noticed that although the pages as indexed in Google don't contain ads, the pages you can proxy via the homepage DO have ads inserted in them (but not AdSense).

[theBear]

The indexing of "proxy" content can start with somebody preparing links to a proxy on a throwaway domain and letting the search engines take it from there.

Frequently the "proxy" isn't a true proxy but a work somewhat alike.

If a person using a "proxy" has certain tools installed and those in turn phone home links to the search engines, a search engine just discovers what may have been there for sometime.

jomaxx or others if you sticky me the url I'll take a look around and add my email to the pile at the 'plex.

[edited by: theBear at 6:18 pm (utc) on Nov. 30, 2006]

[RichTC]

jomaxx,

If you search on google for keywords relating to our site ie a title search, keywords from a page title on our site etc etc this site will rank in the serps above our PR6 site

The site has taken EVERY page from our site exactly the same as ours and google has treated this site as the official site, not ours!

Meanwhile our site has vanished from the google serps and traffic fallen off the side of a cliff.

I have today contacted some other sites this site have also been hijacked and they have experienced the same issue.

I conclude that (call it hijack, copy, Plagiarism what ever you like) this site has taken our entire site, replaced the links within it to that of its own pages and done the same to other webmasters.

As for google confirming that 302 hijack is resolved - it may well be, but for our site and many others we have a real problem and once we establish the owners of this site or who has done it legal action for damages will be taken.

We have filed a DMCA today and im sure three other websites are doing the same shortly - thats as much as i think we can do for now.

I will post back in this thread should the issue get resolved

[RichTC]

thebear

Have sent you sticky with the urls involved

Cheers

Rich

[theBear]

RichTC,

First jomaxx is correct it isn't a 302, it is another slighty modified version of a widely availible proxy work somewhat alike.

THe owner of the site you provided also has another "proxy" site, the second one only has its home page indexed.

If you do a whois you get a yahoo eaddy, and basicly a borked telephone number. The area code is correct and matches up with the zip code.

[trinorthlighting]

What it is happening is that Rich lost his serps once this site was indexed with his content. The main site serves adsense ads and so do a few of the pages.

What concerns me is the adsense sites that this site has a cache of. I am more than sure that proper advertising credits are not going to the proper person.

[jomaxx]

That claim is easily tested, and in fact the proxy does not appear to change the publisher ID.