Did Google Sell My Adsense Info to Double Click?

Receiving strange affiliation pitches

[Harry]

I have been receiving affiliate pitches from Double Click asking me to adhere to various affiliate programs. I get about one or two per day all signed with female names. They know my name and seem to know quite a lot about me.

I assume that they got all that data from Google Adsense where they have great data about me as a person and about my sites.

I don't like being pitched like that and feel violated that Google could have exchange this type of information with its new acquisition, if they did. As for Double Click, the less said, the better...

[Quadrille]

It's pretty unlikely; and I'll wager that this thread will not fill up with 'me toos'.

There are many ways your information could have reached double click, and Adsense is far from being favorite.

Even if there are a lot of Adsense publishers who have been approached by DC, that fact alone proves nothing.

Once the merger goes ahead, such contact is quite likely - but if Google have any sense, it will be a message from Adsense, not from Double Click. You'll see.

In the meantime, it's quite in order to hate Google, but usually unwise to assume they are stupid :)

[JS_Harris]

I second that. Google doesn't readily reveal your information. A more likely place it was obtained is through your registrar, service provider or perhaps even a whois lookup if your information wasn't set to private when you registered the domain.

As a general rule affiliate offers don't come in hand written just for you either. Beware of anyone approaching you first, it may not even be a legit email.

[Tropical Island]

Google wouldn't be that stupid.

[Romeo]

... and there is no problem for anyone to send a bot to spider sites and scan pages and see if they show Adsense or not ... everybody can see it, so why not DC, too?
And to get a name from a whois database shouldn't be a problem either.

[edited by: Romeo at 10:35 am (utc) on Nov. 8, 2007]

[OnlyToday]

The FTC still hasn't approved the deal yet and privacy and marketing issues are being argued by The Center for Digital Democracy and US PIRG as reasons for denial.

[farmboy]

FWIW, I have an account with Performics and have set up an email address just to receive email from Performics for that account. The address isn't advertised anywhere else, it's not in my WHOIS information, etc.

That's the email address where I'm receiving these DoubleClick promotions.

FarmBoy

[Quadrille]

I've email addresses that have been used once and once only, and have spam to them; I've even had one that has been set up and never, ever used; not even to report spam, and yet the spammers have 'found it' and the amount of spam is gradually increasing.

You can never make any assumptions about who is 'responsible' for spam, but it's much safer safe to make assumptions about who isn't - for example, G and DC are totally separate organizations hoping to come together; would they really act like third-rate spammers while they are under the spotlight? While it's also dangerous to underestimate the potential for stupidity, i think you have to pinch yourself occasionally and recognise that

Big Business Didn't Get Big by Being THAT Stupid ;)

[jk247g]

Google bought doubleclick like a 1/2 year ago so they are pretty much the same company.

[OnlyToday]

Google bought doubleclick like a 1/2 year ago so they are pretty much the same company.

The FTC has not yet approved the merger, they are two separate entities.

[cocacolafun]

google and double click are one and only one.

[OnlyToday]

[itworld.com...]

[Quadrille]

There's no point arguing about this; either you understand about takeovers, and how it isn't over until the Fat Lady Sings - or you don't understand.

Similarly, either you understand that when Big Companies play games, they don't play 3rd-rate spammer games - they play big games. Or you don't.

As an illustration, when did you last hear of The Godfather being arrested for pickpocketing? Every class of people shoplifts, fiddles their taxes and lies to insurance companies, that's a given. But Big Criminals Don't Do Little Crimes. Just as your average pickpocket doesn't order St Valentine's Day massacres (unless Feb 14 falls on on a Wednesday, when all bets are off).

;)

[Harry]

Well, I like that my post did generate some comments and possibly, warn the respective parties that if they even attempt something like this, hell will be raised.

About the note from Double Click, the email they used is not available in the WHOIS.

[Quadrille]

>> warn the respective parties that if they even
>> attempt something like this, hell will be raised

They have lawyers telling them that too ... for $5000 per hour.

[basenotes]

FWIW, I have an account with Performics and have set up an email address just to receive email from Performics for that account. The address isn't advertised anywhere else, it's not in my WHOIS information, etc.

That's the email address where I'm receiving these DoubleClick promotions.

FarmBoy

Performics is part of DoubleClick