Man Accused of Attempting to Extort Google 302
sandalwood writes "A programmer has been arrested on charges of attempting to "threaten Google with a software program he devised that creates phony clicks on pop-up advertisements delivered by Google. Google pays Web site publishers companies a certain amount for legitimate hits on those ads, but Bradley created a method that generates false clicks that appeared to be real Internet traffic, which would have repeatedly defrauded Google... Bradley contacted Google in early March, informing company officials that he had created the program and wanted $100,000 to keep him from selling it to spammers, according to an affidavit by a U.S. Secret Service agent." A harbinger of organized crime to come? That's a real nice website you have here... a shame if anything were to happen to it..."
Using Google to extort Google? ;-) (Score:5, Funny)
Search terms: "how to extort" AND money AND "from google"
Found him! (Score:5, Funny)
That'll teach him a lesson... (Score:5, Funny)
Slashdot... (Score:5, Funny)
Isn't this what Slashdot is trying to do? No?
he must have been (Score:4, Funny)
Hi. I'm Troy McClure (Score:4, Funny)
I think slashdot just found... (Score:5, Funny)
Hi little guy, this is Cmdr.Taco... We're going to link to your site in an article. What? You say you can't handle the traffic? For the low low cost of $699 we can grant you a license to mirror your site on our finely tuned slashdot-proof servers.
Re:Using Google to extort Google? ;-) (Score:5, Funny)
Google...
The cause of and solution to all of life's problems
Re:Found him! (Score:5, Funny)
He works for SCO?
stupid... (Score:5, Funny)
Stupid!
The fine line.... (Score:5, Funny)
1) Fun
2) Well-paying
3) Legal
This guy probably was legal up to the point of threatening Google. I guess that the fine line between the criminal mind and normal everyday greed.
Slashdot - weapon of mass debandwith (Score:3, Funny)
The way of the future... Just wait till Bush catchs on, Cowboy Neal and Taco will be billionairs with an army of geeks on hand...
TO THE SLASHDOT MOBILE!
Psst ... /. (Score:5, Funny)
Interesting (Score:5, Funny)
Or, putting that in terms we can all understand... (Score:5, Funny)
Very similar to the google case, I think step 4 only applies to the lawyers
sloppy work (Score:5, Funny)
Maybe Linux Today can do it! (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Using Google to extort Google? ;-) (Score:5, Funny)
Suggestions:Also, you can try Google Answers [google.com] for expert help with your search.
Was he also wearing. . . (Score:5, Funny)
a pair of those blinking Nikes while running away from the cops?
-FL
this never would've happened... (Score:5, Funny)
Idiots (Score:3, Funny)
"See, I have this cache of weapons in my house, and I'll sell them off to criminals at some point if you don't give me the money!"
"Wait...SWAT Team? What SWAT Team?"
"Outside my house?"
Re:Blackmail (Score:2, Funny)
Michael Anthony Bradley, 32
Probably still has his mothers umbilical cord attached. Sheesh.
Re:Hi. I'm Troy McClure (Score:4, Funny)
Re:What have we learned? (Score:5, Funny)
I would like to point out that, due to dangerously unsecure settings on installation of their home software, Microsoft is already the "Microsoft" of the spamming industry...
Note: WinXP really is better. Win2003 is much better. But if we don't have Microsoft to pick on, just who ARE we gonna pick on?
Re:Psst ... /. (Score:2, Funny)
Awww, crap, you too? That's common knowledge:
num=int(rnd(0)*5)
select num
MSG="Microsoft sucks."
MSG="Linux rocks!"
MSG="MPAA is bad."
MSG="RIAA is evil."
MSG="This is a repost. Duh!"
end select
printf $MSG
Re:robots as websurfers (Score:2, Funny)
From the looks of things, you're not alone in that.
Re:Using Google to extort Google? ;-) (Score:3, Funny)
At least that's Homer's view.
Tangent: "software program" (Score:3, Funny)
Okay, *theoretically* there could be a need to distinguish a computer program from, say, a TV program or a spending program or a concert program, but really, how likely is it that a computer programmer is threatening an information service company with information about who's playing second violin tonight?
Re:robots as websurfers (Score:2, Funny)
Why do you say, you're not alone in that?
George Carlin on intelligence (Score:2, Funny)
Carlin is almost certainly wrong. He is only correct if the following points are true:
* he's using the uncommon "median" definition of average (if he was using the more common "mean" definition, it would be extremely unlikely that he was correct, since there would have to be a distribution that splits exactly halfway at the mean intelligence point).
* There are not an odd number of people. If there are an odd number of people, fewer than half of the people out there are necessarily on either side of the median.
* Whatever metric Carlin is using for intelligence does not rate the two people used in calculating the mean to determine the median value as having the same degree of intelligence. If he is using something as roughly grained as an IQ score, for instance, he would certainly be wrong. (If he were, a number of people that would have been to one side of the median would be equally dumb as the median value, preventing half of the people out there from being dumber).
Re:Psst ... /. (Score:1, Funny)