Google Negligence

pro_gnostic_8

Gents, if I may ask ...............
Would you have an opinion as to whether Google Search might have any culpability or liability when they allow a scam website to appear on their search query listings?
Specifically, I am referring to a website that showed up at the top of the first page when I entered a query into Search. Clicking on the result precipitated me being plundered of some of my bitcoin. Not a large amount, admittedly, but dammit it's the principle. In this case it really is !
The page and result ( the top listing) that suckered me is attached.

If would be grateful if any of you nice folk would have any view on this matter.
Thank you in advance for any opinion you may offer.
Regards,
J.

pro_gnostic_8

Actually, I forgot to add that the listing was an advert allowed and prominently displayed by Google.

gctest50

Does it still come up if you search for " yobit " ?

eeguy

I'm sure that the terms and conditions you automatically agree to when you use Google services have a looong list of exclusion clauses.

L1011

The can't - and don't - vet every ad. Impossible to tell what is and isn't a scam with bitcoin either.

pro_gnostic_8

gctest, no it doesn't.
The advert/listing was removed very shortly after I submitted an online report form to Google .......... just after I realised I had been robbed of my bitcoin. Removed about ten minutes after I clicked on it.

gctest50

Some clever computers virus rewrite yer google search results, then silently clean out all your bitcoins/money later on

pro_gnostic_8

eeguy, I accept what you say -- Terms and Conditions and that stuff -- but surely no T & C's can absolve a company of accontability for carrying an advert, displayed prominently, that is designed with the sole purpose of thieving from people? No?

pro_gnostic_8

L1011 wrote: »

The can't - and don't - vet every ad. Impossible to tell what is and isn't a scam with bitcoin either.

In fairness, L1011, it should be said that there is no whiff of Scammery attached to the legitimate Yobit site itself. It is fully legit and sound.

SkinnyBuddha

pro_gnostic_8 wrote: »

In fairness, L1011, it should be said that there is no whiff of Scammery attached to the legitimate Yobit site itself. It is fully legit and sound.

seriously if you're using bitcoin as a currency and then have to google a website to spend it you should stop and think.

And no google aren't responsible for you losing bitcoins..for a start they would probably use the argrument bitcoin isn't a reall currency and you wouldn't be the first person to be ripped off by a dodgy site served up by their search engine.

Del2005

pro_gnostic_8 wrote: »

eeguy, I accept what you say -- Terms and Conditions and that stuff -- but surely no T & C's can absolve a company of accontability for carrying an advert, displayed prominently, that is designed with the sole purpose of thieving from people? No?

They took it down after you reported it, you hardly expect a company that posts billions of ads every day to scan them all. In saying that I would bet big money, if I gambled, that the 1st site on Google for a US ESTA is a scam site.

There is also a personal responsibility issue, the only way that the company could of got your money was by you inputting the information. Did you check the site for contact details etc?

pro_gnostic_8

Buddha, it was a a thief-website Advertised by Google ............ not just listed by them. And given high prominence.
I have the sad feeling that you are insinuating that it's my fault that I was robbed. Would you say the same to all victims of online or telephone scams?

In my defence, I'll say that it was laziness that I typed in "Yobit" via the Search Engine rather than typing the whole address URL into the address bar. I've learned my lesson, but I still do feel aggrieved that Google is a medium that apparently does not vet their adverts and consequently facilitates these scam artists that prey on people. Honestly, I don't know of any other mainstream media that would have such a policy or practice enshrined in their business model.

jimmycrackcorm

Google could only be held negligent if they knowingly allowed a false site to be advertised.

I don't think it was google itself that took the bitcoins and given that there are no chargeback facilities then it must be up to the user of the website to verify its authenticity.

pro_gnostic_8

Del2005 wrote: »

you hardly expect a company that posts billions of ads every day to scan them all.

Del, frankly I do? And I would question the quantity of "billions" of adverts every day that you quote.
And if they don't vet their paid-for adverts as it appears they don't, then, the downside of that is that they should be liable for the consequential loss of money suffered by their customers who click on the ads, surely?

To answer your second question, yes I entered my username and password when prompted. the form fields were an exact copy of the ones used by the legitimate Yobit website when logging on. (I was transferring some bitcoin in order to buy some Monero -- another cryptocurrency). As soon as I entered detals, the bitcoin was being sent to another wallet. I could see it happening before meh eyes.

pro_gnostic_8

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

Google could only be held negligent if they knowingly allowed a false site to be advertised.

Surely they have responsibility for what they advertise -- whether knowingly or not, Jimmy? Christ, if I was the owner of some small-town local rag that advertised scam websites that robbed my readers I would be pulverized in both the courts of law and of public opinion, no?

SkinnyBuddha

pro_gnostic_8 wrote: »

Buddha, it was a a thief-website Advertised by Google ............ not just listed by them. And given high prominence.

buyer beware....there are ways for things to be presented to you...check this forum for the scams on Amazon.

I have the sad feeling that you are insinuating that it's my fault that I was robbed.

yep....you're the one that entered the details....seriously if you have the cop on to use bitcoin wallets and how bitcoins work and their chains etc it was a serious lapse in judgement on your part

Would you say the same to all victims of online or telephone scams?

No but your not an aul wan getting a call from india saying there's a problem with their BB

wrote:

but I still do feel aggrieved that Google is a medium that apparently does not vet their adverts and consequently facilitates these scam artists that prey on people. Honestly, I don't know of any other mainstream media that would have such a policy or practice enshrined in their business model.

Seriously go google why google aren't responsible for you getting conned(yeah I know it's ironic )

eeguy

pro_gnostic_8 wrote: »

Surely they have responsibility for what they advertise -- whether knowingly or not, Jimmy? Christ, if I was the owner of some small-town local rag that advertised scam websites that robbed my readers I would be pulverized in both the courts of law and of public opinion, no?

So long as you took down the ad when someone reported it was a scam then you did all you could do.
Do you think the donedeal or adverts are personally responsible for the ads that are posted on their website?
If I went to buy a car and the seller mugged me, do you think donedeal should be the ones responsible?

pro_gnostic_8

eeguy wrote: »

Do you think the donedeal or adverts are personally responsible for the ads that are posted on their website?

I honestly don't know!
I would imagine that they have some responsibility to their customer base on a moral level at least. Surely companies do not have unfettered freedom to put up all and sundry adverts without at least checking in some small way for validity? Which is something that Google are in a enviable position with their resources very capable of doing.

L1011

pro_gnostic_8 wrote: »

Surely they have responsibility for what they advertise -- whether knowingly or not, Jimmy? Christ, if I was the owner of some small-town local rag that advertised scam websites that robbed my readers I would be pulverized in both the courts of law and of public opinion, no?

Law? No. No liability. Ditto TV and radio - at most if the ad broke broadcast regulations they might get a slap on the wrist for airing it.

Public opinion? Probably not. Local rag to me carried adverts for a quack doctor who got eventually got found guilty of professional misconduct and stopped, nobody cares.

Papers can't and don't check every advertiser is legit. Neither do radio or TV stations. Nobody has the resources - or the requirement - to do so.

dreamers75

You visited that site "many" times, when did you figure out it was a scam?

SkinnyBuddha

pro_gnostic_8 wrote: »

Surely companies do not have unfettered freedom to put up all and sundry adverts without at least checking in some small way for validity?

they do..they are not responsible for what users post.

Was your post checked by staff at Boards.ie for libel , hate speech , posting child porn ? No.

And if you did , it would be promptly taken down ( like what google did ) and it would be you that is responsiple for what you posted not boards

pro_gnostic_8

Alright folks, I do understand and appreciate that the vast majority of you on here are of the view that Google has no liability in this particular case. I get that.
But, typing my complaint on here has actually made me more angry with Google that I was before I started. And more determined to follow this up. I have now decided to complain to the Advertising Authority for starters. I will post again when and if I get a reply.
I'm so annoyed with Google.
Google -- "Do No Evil" meh bollocks.

Thanks to all for your kind responses.
Regards,
J.

L1011

The ASAI can do nothing more than tell Google not to run the ad again. Google do not even have to obey.

pro_gnostic_8

dreamers75 wrote: »

You visited that site "many" times, when did you figure out it was a scam?

The site wasn't or isn't a scam, dreamers. The legitimate Yobit site isn't a scam in any shape or form. The top listing on Google was a scam.
On my previous visits, I typed the URL into the address bar; this one time I didn't -- I typed "Yobit" into the search bar. That's what got me robbed.

SkinnyBuddha

pro_gnostic_8 wrote: »

But, typing my complaint on here has actually made me more angry with Google that I was before I started. And more determined to follow this up. I have now decided to complain to the Advertising Authority for starters.

Good luck with that :rolleyes:

pro_gnostic_8

L1011 wrote: »

Local rag to me carried adverts for a quack doctor who got eventually got found guilty of professional misconduct and stopped,

I gotta say that a thieving-advert placed on a global platform like Google is higher up the scale of reach than a low-circulation local weekly newspaper and a chancer horse-doctor.

pro_gnostic_8

SkinnyBuddha wrote: »

Good luck with that :rolleyes:

Oh you of very little faith ! :pac:
At the very least it will make me feel better. Even if nothing comes from it as most of you predict, it will give me some small satisfaction for doing so.

L1011

pro_gnostic_8 wrote: »

I gotta say that a thieving-advert placed on a global platform like Google is higher up the scale of reach than a low-circulation local weekly newspaper and a chancer horse-doctor.

Zero difference in terms of responsibility

In future, make all online payments with a system that has chargebacks and visit sites directly rather than searching for them and hitting the first thing that comes up. A scam site could have reached the first non-sponsored search result just as easily.

pro_gnostic_8

L1011 wrote: »

The ASAI can do nothing more than tell Google not to run the ad again. Google do not even have to obey.

You may well be right, mate.
In other words, a Paper Tiger ............. like every other regulatory body in this poor benighted little country.
Ireland of course, is a "business-friendly" place for large corporations as our dear Taoiseach has said on more than one occasion. Silly, naive me for thinking otherwise.

L1011

pro_gnostic_8 wrote: »

You may well be right, mate.
In other words, a Paper Tiger ............. like every other regulatory body in this poor benighted little country.
Ireland of course, is a "business-friendly" place for large corporations as our dear Taoiseach has said on more than one occasion. Silly, naive me for thinking otherwise.

The ASAI is not a regulator or a state body. It is a voluntary organisation paid for by advertisers. Advertising is only regulated here by the BAI for broadcast media.

To be honest, there is a tiny chance you will get a response from the ASAI that isn't "we have no ability to deal with this"

SkinnyBuddha

pro_gnostic_8 wrote: »

Oh you of very little faith ! :pac:

I'm a realist

At the very least it will make me feel better. Even if nothing comes from it as most of you predict, it will give me some small satisfaction for doing so.

you'd be better of mining the bitcoin you lost...just saying;)