March 1, 2008Faking Domain with AdWordsI just saw this add in gmail:  Note the URL: "www.UCBerkeley.edu/Negotiations". Seems too good to be true, doesn't it. Also, why "ucberkeley.edu" and not "berkeley.edu"? Indeed, when you click on the link, you get taken to a different domain (galimagroup.com). The domain that is shown (ucberkeley.edu) is registered to UC Berkeley but is not live:  But I am worried about the implications here. It seems that AdWords allows the advertiser to show a domain that actually isn't theirs (or simply doesn't exist) in order to attract the viewer. Great. Note that since the actual link gets routed through Google, you actually have no idea where you'll end up after you click on the web. It's not often that I am tempted to click on an ad in gmail, but the next time this temptation arises, I'll make sure to resist it. Filed under: USA 2007 Comments |
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