The way many got rich at expense of others, in internet marketing world, is mostly by using the parasites.

The parasites are not exactly viruses, so many spyware programs don't bother with them.
However from an merchant or affiliate position parasite on buyer's PC is the worst plague he can imagine.

What exactly is a marketing parasite?
In short, it alters your product tracking code on the victims PC and puts the one from the bad guy instead.
Here are some broader definitions from http://www.amwso.com/ :

" * An application that through accidental or direct intent causes the overwriting of Affiliate Partner and non Affiliate Partner commission tracking cookies through any other means than a customer initiated click on a Qualifying Link on a web page or email.

* An application that intercepts natural searches to redirect traffic through an installed software, thereby causing, pop ups, commission tracking cookies to be put in place or other commission tracking cookies to be overwritten where a user would under normal circumstances have arrived at the same destination through the results given by the natural search. (Natural search engines being, but not limited to, Google, MSN, Yahoo, Overture, AltaVista, Hotbot, and similar search or directory engines)

* The setting of commission tracking cookies through loading of Merchant site in IFrames, hidden links and automatic pop ups that open the Merchant site.

* An application that targets text on web sites, other than those web sites 100% owned by the application owner, for the purpose of contextual marketing.

* An application that removes or replaces or blocks the visibility of Affiliate Partner banners with any other banners, other than those that are on web sites 100% owned by the owner of the application. "



Altough many merchants have anti-parasite policy, I honestly doubt they are actually able to enforce it, purely because of technical difficulties in implementing the possible measures. Unless they are the ones being ripped off, of course.

However, I would like to know Google's way, if any, in dealing with the issue, particulary regarding Adsense.
I am pretty sure, that many publishers, including me, have been sufering from Adsense parasites altering the surfers' clicks&codes to their (parasite) advantage.

Knowing that Adsense code can come from ANY page/site on the net, Google do not need to care about the site's ownership providing the click and the code inside, which is utterly unfair towards honest and naive publishers.

Isn't it time for Google to introduce obligation for Adsense publishers to provide names of all and every site they put Adsense into?
OK, "referrer" could be forged too, but that would at least limit some of the scam out there.

Google owns us some protection too.