Whois & Analysis for clickguard.com

Click fraud is a type of fraud that occurs on the Internet in pay-per-click (PPC) online advertising.

In this type of advertising, the owners of websites that post the ads are paid an amount of money determined by how many visitors to the sites click on the ads.

Fraud occurs when a person, automated script or computer program imitates a legitimate user of a web browser, clicking on such an ad without having actual interest in the target of the ad's link.

Click fraud is the subject of some controversy and increasing litigation due to the advertising networks being a key beneficiary of the fraud.

Google AdWords is an online advertising service, developed by Google, where advertisers pay to display brief advertising copy to web users.

Google AdWords' system is based partly on cookies and partly on keywords determined by advertisers.

Google uses these characteristics to place advertising copy on pages where it is relevant.

Advertisers pay when users divert their browsing to click on the advertising copy.

Partner websites receive a portion of the generated income.

Google AdSense is a program run by Google that allows publishers in the Google Network of content sites to serve automatic text, image, video, or interactive media advertisements, that are targeted to site content and audience.

These advertisements are administered, sorted, and maintained by Google.

They can generate revenue on either a per-click or per-impression basis.

Google beta-tested a cost-per-action service, but discontinued it in October 2008 in favor of a DoubleClick offering (also owned by Google).

In Q1 2014, Google earned US $3.4 billion ($13.6 billion annualized), or 22% of total revenue, through Google AdSense.

AdSense is a participant in the AdChoices program, so AdSense ads typically include the triangle-shaped AdChoices icon.

This program also operates on HTTP cookies.

Over 14 million websites are using AdSense.

In law, fraud is deliberate deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right.

Fraud itself can be a civil wrong (i.e., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud and/or recover monetary compensation), a criminal wrong (i.e., a fraud perpetrator may be prosecuted and imprisoned by governmental authorities) or it may cause no loss of money, property or legal right but still be an element of another civil or criminal wrong.

The purpose of fraud may be monetary gain or other benefits, such as obtaining a driver's license or qualifying for a mortgage by way of false statements.

Computer software, or simply software, is that part of a computer system that consists of data or computer instructions, in contrast to the physical hardware from which the system is built.

In computer science and software engineering, computer software is all information processed by computer systems, programs and data.

Computer software includes computer programs, libraries and related non-executable data, such as online documentation or digital media.

Computer hardware and software require each other and neither can be realistically used on its own.