3 ms·

Is it fraudulent to click on advertisements without having an intention to buy the product? I dont know, but I doubt intention to buy is the deciding factor. I

Is it fraudulent to click on advertisements without having an intention to buy the product? I dont know, but I doubt intention to buy is the deciding factor. I would think that it becomes illegal when you are misrepresenting traffic to an advertiser. Especially if its a pay per click contract, and the group doing the clicking is acting on behalf of the company getting paid.

spookthesunset 6y ago
Misrepresenting traffic to an advertiser is intention. Those clicks were intended to defraud the advertiser. Normal clicks from average joe are not done intending to defraud somebody. It might be pedantic to point that out... but intent matters.
- dec0dedab0de 6y ago
  Right, but I was being even more pedantic when I quoted "intention to buy." That is to say, if I see an ad for something that I want to know more about, but I don't want or need, or cant afford, I have an honest reason to click on the ad even though I don't have an "intention to buy."
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- wincy 6y ago
  I mean, AdNauseam [0] certainly has that intention, as it clicks every single ad in an attempt to waste advertisers time and money. [0] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/adnauseam/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/adnauseam/
cies 6y ago
I dont know if intent by itself (without an otherwise punishable act) can be a crime. That would be a thought crime, wouldn't it? GP says "Click without intend to buy" -- Wow, that sounds like mis clicks could be a CRIME! I cannot be too bothered with people gaming the sleazy business that advertising is.
- dec0dedab0de 6y ago
  I dont know if intent by itself (without an otherwise punishable act) can be a crime. That would be a thought crime, wouldn't it? Intent can surely make something a crime, that wouldn't be punishable otherwise. Giving someone with a peanut allergy something with peanuts in it is not a crime, unless you knew they had the allergy and intended to hurt them. In some states it's illegal to intentionally expose someone to HIV, but it wouldnt be illegal to expose them if you didn't know you had it. If you slip and fall at a store you can likely sue for damages, but it would be a crime if you intended to do it. I cannot be too bothered with people gaming the sleazy business that advertising is. Yeah, I don't feel bad for any of the players involved in that world.
- michaelbuckbee 6y ago
  I accidently click an ad -> not a crime. I hire you to browse around my site clicking on ads to generate revenue for me -> crime.
  - cies 6y ago
    That why I said that "click without intend to buy" can prolly not be a crime, where putting up ads with intent to have them clicked by yourself (or someone you pay for) IS most likely against the contract that you have with the ad network. If the ad networks care is another story. They make money either way on the short term :)

spookthesunset 6y ago

Misrepresenting traffic to an advertiser is intention. Those clicks were intended to defraud the advertiser. Normal clicks from average joe are not done intending to defraud somebody. It might be pedantic to point that out... but intent matters.

dec0dedab0de 6y ago
Right, but I was being even more pedantic when I quoted "intention to buy." That is to say, if I see an ad for something that I want to know more about, but I don't want or need, or cant afford, I have an honest reason to click on the ad even though I don't have an "intention to buy."
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
wincy 6y ago
I mean, AdNauseam [0] certainly has that intention, as it clicks every single ad in an attempt to waste advertisers time and money. [0] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/adnauseam/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/adnauseam/

cies 6y ago

I dont know if intent by itself (without an otherwise punishable act) can be a crime. That would be a thought crime, wouldn't it? GP says "Click without intend to buy" -- Wow, that sounds like mis clicks could be a CRIME! I cannot be too bothered with people gaming the sleazy business that advertising is.

dec0dedab0de 6y ago
I dont know if intent by itself (without an otherwise punishable act) can be a crime. That would be a thought crime, wouldn't it? Intent can surely make something a crime, that wouldn't be punishable otherwise. Giving someone with a peanut allergy something with peanuts in it is not a crime, unless you knew they had the allergy and intended to hurt them. In some states it's illegal to intentionally expose someone to HIV, but it wouldnt be illegal to expose them if you didn't know you had it. If you slip and fall at a store you can likely sue for damages, but it would be a crime if you intended to do it. I cannot be too bothered with people gaming the sleazy business that advertising is. Yeah, I don't feel bad for any of the players involved in that world.
michaelbuckbee 6y ago
I accidently click an ad -> not a crime. I hire you to browse around my site clicking on ads to generate revenue for me -> crime.
- cies 6y ago
  That why I said that "click without intend to buy" can prolly not be a crime, where putting up ads with intent to have them clicked by yourself (or someone you pay for) IS most likely against the contract that you have with the ad network. If the ad networks care is another story. They make money either way on the short term :)