PandaLabs has identified over a million spam links used to target Google searchers looking for information about automotive parts from Ford and Nissan especially. Panda calls it “a major Blackhat SEO attack” designed to dupe searchers into downloading spyware or purchasing phony security software.
EU Probes UK Over Internet Privacy
The European Commission said on Tuesday it is taking legal action against the United Kingdom for not adequately protecting the privacy of British Internet users.
EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding said the action had to do with how Internet service providers used Phorm technology to send users targeted ads based on the sites they visited.
CPC Declines on Big 3 Search Engines, ROI Strong
Average cost-per-click in the US declined last year on the big three search engines according to research from Efficient Frontier. Google’s fell 14%, Yahoo’s fell 16%, and Microsoft’s fell 28% over a year’s time (via CNET). Essentially the study indicates that less money was spent per search ad.
Court Rules MySpace Posting Not Private
A California court has ruled that a high school principal who sent a copy of a MySpace journal posting to a local newspaper is not liable for invasion of privacy.
University of California at Berkeley student Cynthia Moreno wrote a journal entry on her MySpace page complaining about her hometown of Coalinga, Calif. The post was titled "An Ode to Coalinga" and began with "the older I get the more I realize how much I despise Coalinga" and then went on to make negative comments about Coalinga and its residents.
Banner and Video Ad Spending On the Rise
comScore is sharing some research indicating that despite a recent study from the IAB and Price Waterhouse Coopers saying that display-related ad spending declined in Q4 2008, banner ad spending actually increased.
YouTube and Universal Making a Music Video Site?
Update: YouTube has officially announced Vevo.
Original article 03/05: The number one video site in the US and the world’s largest music label are said to be cooking up a deal and a new service. YouTube and Universal Music Group are reportedly in talks to create a premium online music video service.
Skype Buy Back Not Likely
A proposed buyout of eBay’s Skype by the Internet calling services co-founders and a group of private – equity firms is not likely to be completed.
StumbleUpon Becomes Its Own Company Again
First there were the acquisition rumors, then the acquisition. Then there were the sale rumors.
Google Launches Display Ads for Google Finance
Late last year, Google announced that it would be experimenting with ads in more places. Since then, we’ve seen Google Image Search, Picasa, and Google News ad additions.
StumbleUpon Breaks Away from eBay
StumbleUpon is no longer part of eBay. Many have wondered why it was even part of it to begin with, but that pondering can now be put aside. The company has now been returned to its creators for an undisclosed amount.