is this gen z compatible or do they need `rm -frfr /*`

* quality not guaranteed

That's some handy detection work. I would have never spotted the light switch

Wanna hear me rant about how brand paid/orgnaic search is being massively misattributed to affiliates? Tell @kelvinnewman.bsky.social to put me on stage Hero Conf

I've seen a lot of fraudsters do extreme things to hide their brand bidding activity, but trying to disguise ads as run by Google is not one I had on my bingo card for this year. I almost respect the level of crazy on display here.

So users make navigational searches to reach Lebara, click an ad that is indistinguishable from the real one, and end up lining an affiliate's pocket.

The result for paid and organic teams, search revenue is misattributed to affiliates, causing all sorts of downstream issues and poor decisions.

With the account verified, the advertiser uses a loophole to run ads for any domain (lebara.co.uk here) while hijacking clicks to send users to any URL they like.

Clicking the ad will redirect users via Lebara's affiliate network, but where users are redirected to scam and phishing websites.

This is not verification. The company details are public info, and the DUNS system uses the public details of the company as it's source. The Advertiser Verification system is a test of whether you know how to search the internet.

This same person verified themselves as Vodafone earlier this year:

The affiliate has named their account "Google UK Ltd" and they'll soon gain 'Verified' status.

How? Google's Advertiser Verification is an automatic process that checks whether the user has entered the company's correct registered name, address, and company number, and whether D-U-N-S matches this.

This was my introduction to the Internet. Still a great reference for accessing the dark web

Obviously you're about to ask.

I main ninjaneer on badwater/bloodwater.

What absolutely perfect UX.

IMO 2015 was peak internet. We still had @wstonesoxfordst and @betfairpoker. Selfie sticks weren't popular. SEO hadn't died yet. RIP