I know from the title alone that people are scratching their heads and wondering how the heck I could apply the title of “David” to a behemoth of a company like Microsoft.  I can because Microsoft last week announced a civil suit that they have filed against three individuals that they accuse of participating in click fraud on the MSN ad platform.  Microsoft is the “David” because Click Fraud (now turned into an entity by this post) is huge in the search industry, and though we deal with it, sweep it under the rug, pretend it is not there, etc. it is the “Goliath”.  The civil suit that Microsoft filed is less than one million dollars (as you read, know that I am touching my pinky finger to the corner of my mouth and looking evil), but will reap much, much more.  The PR alone, when we are all evangelizing about Bing, is enough to keep the momentum going for Microsoft.

I, for one, am glad someone with weight has stepped up to do something about this, even if in the end, they receive benefit for it.  Google hasn’t publicly been a champion of going after click fraud, other than giving credit back to campaigns where fraudulent activity seems to be present.  They have even taken a some-what staunch stance and have splintered off from the third party click fraud companies (I can’t say I blame them, since these companies have a monetary reason to accuse Google and everyone else of click fraud), and decreed that they are fighting the battle of click fraud and doing a good job.  The difference between MSFT and Google is that MSFT has taken it to the streets by suing the fraudsters.   In all of this over the years, Yahoo! has been more silent than a poor person at a Christie’s auction, and because of this I am not sure exactly where they stand on click fraud, other than against it. The one thing that I believe MSFT could do a better job at is rallying people and letting the public know what they are doing.  I have not seen that many articles written about it yet.  It isn’t even on the Microsoft homepage.

I would like to see more engines stand up and take the initiative to at least publicly make a stance with their actions, not words.  I admit that I believe the actions of MSFT will not curb or even put a dent in click fraud, but it is a step in the right direction, plus a huge win for MSFT in the public’s eye, and that is who MSFT needs on their side right now in this search engine battle that they have committed to.  On a side note, read about the technology and process that they went through to identify these fraudsters (OK alleged fraudsters right now).  It is fascinating and kind of DEA like.

*Thanks to ecanadonow.com for the image

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