By Chris Richardson
Staff Writer
Article Date: 2004-06-25

Michael Bradley of Oak View, California has been charged with extortion and wiretap fraud after making threats to Google about their Adwords service. The charges stem from a software program that Bradley claimed would create fraudulent clicks on Google's CPC ads.

Any program that creates false clicks is a threat to Google's Adwords program. When a site visitor clicks an Adwords ad, the client responsible for the ad pays Google, who then pays a percentage to the site hosting the ad.

Falsely generated clicks could potentially cost Google and their advertisers millions of dollars.

Bradley threatened to sell this program to spammers if Google did not pay him $150,000. He was arrested in March and has pled not guilty to the charges against him. Currently, Bradley is free as a result of posting a $50000 bond.

Read more about the arrest here.
About the Author:
Chris Richardson is a search engine writer and editor for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest search news.