Yahoo Acknowledges Illicit Clicks Exist

The company has made its first ever disclosure on the clicks it discards, numbering between 12 and 15 percent of the ones it receives as either "invalid or of inferior quality. Having click fraud undo the positive results seen so far by Yahoo with its revamped search advertising system would represent a critical step backwards for the company. Keeping their momentum going as they try to make some gains against Google means heading off threats before they turn into a virtual -like scenario.

Trust in the advertising system has to remain at a high level. Yahoo doesn't need more class action lawsuits cropping up over accusations of click fraud. They made a couple of announcements that indicate Yahoo will be more proactive about the problem.

A Reuters report

Yahoo's moves received approval from Click Forensics head Tom Cuthbert. Calling him a close observer of search industry click fraud efforts might be understatement; he has been openly critical of the lack of transparency into click fraud fighting.