Forum Moderators: martinibuster
New Terms of Service for AdSense
1. Program Participation:
In the middle of this section, (collectively, "Ads"), related Google search queries, has been replaced with (such Google-served advertisements, collectively, "Ads"), related Google queries and/or Ad search box (collectively, "Links"),
2. Implementation and Operation of Ads and Search Results.
There are many changes in this section to reflect the new Ad Links, I won't specify all those changes where links has been added along side search and ad units.
The first line has a slight change (change in bold) You agree to comply with the specifications provided by Google from time to time
They have made it clearer that you cannot pre-populate search boxes you place on your site. Changes in bold:
Except for related Google queries, all search queries (including queries entered into an Ad search box) must originate from individual human end users inputting data directly into a Search Box (or Ad search box, as applicable) on Your Site(s).
Another slight change here (change in bold):
and Google will use commercially reasonable efforts to provide You with corresponding Search Results and/or Ads, as applicable and as available.
Then there is the long confused section regarding the fact that you cannot have an ad unit displaying ads identical to any other ad units. And I think it just got even more confusing. While the clause regarding "no Ad Unit shall contain any advertisement in common with any other Ad Unit." has been dropped, it has been replaced with the following:
In addition, You agree that while You may display more than one (1) Ad Unit on each Site Web page, You shall not display any Ad Unit on a page that contains Ads associated with another Google AdSense customer (e.g., Your Web hosting company), unless authorized to do so by Google or such other AdSense customer, if authorized.
So what does this mean? It means that "revenue sharing" AdSense sites are now against the terms, as would be displaying your own AdSense on a site where the hosting company is already showing their own AdSense (ie. such as a Tripod site). "Revenue sharing" is especially popular on forums, where the originating poster can have his/her AdSense displayed on the thread a certain percentage of the time. Now, you can only do this if you have received specific permission from Google AdSense to do so, otherwise, you will be violating the AdSense terms. I clarified this with Google, as well, as I wanted to make sure I understood this correctly.
The terms also now refers to any page using one of the AdSense services as a "Serviced Page", and the terms clarify you cannot run any non-Google contextual programs on any "Serviced Pages".
3. Communications Solely With Google.
Minor changes to reflect Ad links.
4. Parties' Responsibilities.
Minor changes to reflect Ad links.
5. Prohibited Uses
More minor changes to reflect ad links. They have also clarified what you cannot do to manipulate what a user gets when clicking an ad. Changes in bold:
(iii) frame, minimize, remove or otherwise inhibit the full and complete display of any Web page accessed by an end user
Some publishers have been getting sneakier when it comes to what the user experience is once a surfer clicks an ad, so this tightens up the terms in this regard.
Chat pages have now been added to the types of pages you cannot display ads on.
You shall not.... display any Ad(s) or Link(s) ... on any chat page.
And perhaps the most interesting change, this has been added:
You shall not... (viii) act in any way that violates any Program Policies posted on the Google Web Site, as may be revised from time to time, or any other agreement between You and Google (including without limitation the Google AdWords program terms), or engage in any action or practice that reflects poorly on Google or otherwise disparages or devalues Google’s reputation or goodwill.
So what would "engage" or "practice" cover? Would that include complaining about click fraud or low earnings in a forum? Or would it be reserved for those who publicly disparage Google in less-than-flattering terms to a newspaper? It will be interesting to see how this is interpreted as well as enforced.
They have also removed the bolded section in this clause, and the pursuit of all available civil or criminal remedies relating to fraud and other legal claims.
6. Termination; Cancellation.
More minor changes for ad links. Also, this has been added:
Subject to any third party agreements You may have with other Google customers (e.g., Your Web hosting company),
There are now clear instructions on how to cancel your AdSense account (before, it simply said to remove the javascript or programming from your sites).
You may terminate this Agreement with or without cause at any time by sending written notice of your desire to cancel Your participation in the Program to adsense-support@google.com. This Agreement will be deemed terminated within ten (10) business days of Google's receipt of Your notice.
7. Confidentiality
Google has loosened the terms of the confidentiality part of your agreement.
"However, You may accurately disclose the amount of Google’s gross payments to You pursuant to the Program.
This means, if I wanted to tell the world how much my AdSense check was last month, I could do it without violating the AdSense terms. So who wants to go first and tell us your check amount ;)
9. No Warranty
Minor changes for ad links.
15. Google Rights
A new section details what can/cannot be done by using AdSense to make a competing product:
You will not ... create or attempt to create a substitute or similar service or product through use of or access to the Program or proprietary information related thereto.
Also, they have clarified this clause (changes in bold)
You will not remove, obscure, or alter Google's copyright notice, Brand Features, or other proprietary rights notices affixed to or contained within any Google services, software, or documentation (including without limitation the display of Google’s Brand Features with Ads, Links, Search Boxes and/or Search Results, if applicable).
16. Information Rights
They have added information on the Google Privacy policy.
subject to the terms of the Google Privacy Policy (located at [google.com...] or such other URL as Google may provide from time to time)
Also, slight clarification on sharing information with third parties (change in bold).
Google may share non-personally-identifiable information about You, including Site-specific statistics and similar information collected by Google, with advertisers, business partners, sponsors, and other third parties.
17. Miscelaneous
This has been added:
The parties specifically exclude from application to the Agreement the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods and the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act.
I have no idea what this means, so hopefully someone more familiar with this international act will be able to clarify.
That is it for the AdSense Terms changes.
AdSense Program Policies:
Ad Placement
This has been added:
A single Ad Links unit may be placed on each Web site page, in addition to the ad units and search boxes specified above. Ad Links units are considered to be 'Google ads' for purposes of these program policies.
This clarifies that if you have multiple ad units on a page, you may only have one ad unit with ad links.
So, what else has changed?
Payments
These changes are ones AdSense publishers have been waiting for since the program launched. The payments section has now been moved into the "My Account" tab in your AdSense control panel.
Payments in your Home Country's Currency
They have introduced a program where you can have your AdSense payments converted to your home country's currency, so you will receive a check that you can cash much easier at a bank in your country. With publishers having to pay crazy banking fees to cash a US check, this change is most welcome. 43 countries are supported: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United States.
New Payment Options
Publishers will also find different payment options available in their control panel.
Check - Standard Delivery *
Check - Secured Express Delivery ($30.00 Processing Fee) learn more **
BETA Electronic Funds Transfer learn more
Your reports won't track clicks made on the Ad Links topics. Only clicks on the Google ads linked from the Ad Links topics will be tracked. However, impressions are reported for each instance of the Ad Link unit as well as for each pageview of the resulting page that displays ads
You don't violate the TOS to disclose your earnings but you may infringe the TOS if you purposely disclose your bogus earnings.You may accurately disclose the amount of Google’s gross payments to You pursuant to the Program.
LOL! :-)... you are giving me the reason then ;-)
as you quoted above .. as per new TOS I'm allowed to disclose my gross payments ... it does not say I can disclose my earnings. ;-)
regardssssssss
I have become great at stalking the check delivery man, and understand I can check the payment history or my bank account.
But email notification would certainly be a nice feature.
Payment options - home country currency and a beta program for direct deposit.
It seems I can't change a currency (Polish Zloty is my home country c.) and choose a direct deposit option.
Express cheques cost me only $21.
Great! Because I run a blog hosting site and advertise on the header or footer of member blog pages. I could not afford to lose my Adsense, but I guess that means my members that use Adsense in their blogs will need to find a new ad publishing platform, since there is no more shared accounts allowed on hosted pages.
Do you think I should broadcast the TOS to members or do you think it is the member responsibility to learn about and adhere to Google Terms of Service? If you don't have an answer for that, don't worry...I'll figure it out. Thanks.
now I know why the mods get free t-shirts at pubcon
Do you think I should broadcast the TOS to members or do you think it is the member responsibility to learn about and adhere to Google Terms of Service?
yes and yes. i think that while it most certialny is their responsibility, helpful reminders cant hurt anyone.
and, no reply as of yet from google, but ill assume jenstar is right for now: no chat pages probably refers to something like a java irc applet
I logged on to AdSense - saw the new T&Cs - and came straight here figuring you'd have analysed them for us already.
And you didn't let me down!
However I have one kind request to Google: could you please add possibility to view my bank account details (that I entered) so that after entering I could review if I entered them correctly? Now I have to enter the bank account details again - I cannot see what I entered...
Another issue is EFT will force an exchange to account holder's home currency. While I am in Canada, I like to receive earnings in USD because of the stronger Canadian dollar. I sent out an enquiry to Google and got a reply a few hours later (that was fast). The answer is Yes, you have to use your home currency, and No, Google doesn't have a timeline when multiple currency for EFT will be available.
Ken
I'm really excited about a beta for direct deposit, because I know that's something people have asked for. It's also nice to allow people to disclose gross earnings too. It's good to take feedback from users and publishers and roll that back into new products.
They stopped CHAT pages for ads - GOOD [I guess they are talking of real time chat only]
but the way they are going - would they stop ad units on FORUM pages? I fear!
For most guys who earn around $100 pm or so, express delivery may be a non starrer. I guess express delivery of people who earn atleast $500 or more..
Its not clear how many ad units including ad links unit can be placed - 3 or 4?
I just opted for the secure delivery and also the local currency. Will make life much easier as most of the money is thrown back at advertising on adwords. [but I don't pay adwords until my adsense check has arrived! :D] This will make life simpler for both Google and me.
I do hope the "chat page" means real time chat and not forums. Cause I have some and my clients have some of those forums and communities. It's awfuly hard work maintaining them and adsense kind of makes it worth it.
Overall, I am extremely happy that Google has rolled out this update. Thanks Google!
[One question: What will decide the conversion rate from dollars to my currency. Any idea guys?]
1) I'm going to claim credit--somewhat mischievously--for Google deciding to allow us to reveal our earnings. Back in October 2003, when I joined AdSense, I asked for permission to reveal my earnings on my site, on the grounds that I post information about my site's income from all sources and didn't want to leave AdSense out. (Yeah, I know that sounds weird to some of you. That's the kind of site it is.) This led into a back-and-forth discussion by email that lasted into January 2004, and the upshot was, they said I could do it, but of course only under certain conditions. But seriously, I am sure I'm not the only one who has asked them this, and they must have realized there was no good reason to prohibit this information from being revealed.
2) No one has mentioned that the interface has changed. Perhaps it only has for those of us for whom it has been partially broken since Feb. 8th. The nice little embedded scrollbars didn't scroll on a Mac using OS 9. Now the interface has gone back to what it was before, though with some enhancements. Since no one has mentioned this, I wonder if they are detecting the OS and browser and providing this earlier version to users for whom the new interface didn't work.
Overall, with a fully functioning interface again, EFT, and a new kind of Ad to play with, I'm very happy.
I'd be very interested to know this as well. My bank charges a very low fee for cashing foreign cheques so a better exchange rate would be the main factor for getting it issued in Euro instead of $
However, I have a doubt. I have an account on the USA, I'd like to choose ETF, but I don't see like I have an option. Why not?
I mean, why you need to live in the same country of your bank account is?
I mean, why you need to live in the same country of your bank account is?
It might have something to do with tax reasons. To try to avoid any tax evasion attempts?
Me too ;) - thanks Jenstar.
Nope, it does not help nor hurts.
They send you a check, you can cash it anywhere bypassing taxes anyway.
They send you a check, you can cash it anywhere bypassing taxes anyway.
Right, but with that, you would be the one doing the bypassing by selecting where you actually deposit the check.
With an EFT, Google would be the depositing the check directly into your account. So it helps them avoid any tax evasion attempts by sending the payment to the same country where the publisher says he lives and pays taxes.
That way, Google is sort of off the hook.
Anything the publisher does after that with the money is their own doing.
So let's wait and see how it works - how fast are transfers, etc.
On the other hand I beg Google: please make it possible to view my bank account details without the need to enter them again!
SN
Does anyone have an answer to this? Is it a problem to prepopulate search fields on search engines that are not google results. I don't used Google's paid or free search on my site. Whatever the user searched for in the search engine from which they came is filled in on my external engine, is that a problem?
SEOGrrl
