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How I advertise malicious software on Google Ads

xlii.space

221–230 of 248 posts

Re: How I advertise malicious software on Google Ads

#221

Google has forgotten the plot. A quick tangent story follows: I attempted to add a Tesla Supercharger as it went live to Google Maps. I was the very first to pay to recharge at the new location. The process went something like this: 1st time: Uploaded 4 photos, local business info, current charger prices, and GPS coordinates. Google replied this would be sent to human review. It was rejected within 6 minutes. 2nd att…

Another thing they apparently do is let business owners (e.g. hotels) remove negative reviews because they're "defamatory". I had a very factual 3-star review on a hotel that was supposedly very quiet, but was super noisy and the AC was not working. And there was literally nobody at the reception at the time of check-out and nobody picked up the phone either. All in all, nothing serious, but worth a review. Purely fa…

MBAs, consultants and accountants have taken control of the company. All are in it to move up and cash out. They will optimize for profit and not much else. Loosing (or even defending) a defamation case is expensive. Spiking your review is free.

This is not the old Google run by engineers. Stop expecting that and you will experience less frustration.

Re: How I advertise malicious software on Google Ads

#222
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've stopped believing in the accuracy of Google maps after my experience at my last apartment. The ground floor of my building was a deli with an address like 123 4th Ave, and the entrance to the deli was basically facing the corner itself rather than either side of the cross street, and my apartment's address (using the placeholder above as a reference) was 123 4th Ave Apt. 2R. All of the apartments had a separate…

When I lived in Jersey City, I committed the crime of living at a 1/2 address. Literally nothing could get delivered to me if they used a Google Maps address bar. My address just didn't exist at all to that search bar. It could be found on maps, just not on that little search bar widget. I ended up just putting my neighbors address and either intercepting delivery drivers or putting in the notes that I was at the hal…

That’s odd. In my neighborhood probably 50% of houses have a 1/2 address in the back.

We have had solicitors walk through our side yard convinced they are going to the 1/2 address (which we don’t have).

Maps seems to show them all correctly.

Re: How I advertise malicious software on Google Ads

#223
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The lesson here is: don’t do free work for corporations.

I don't even fill out surveys anymore for the most part, unless it gets me a discount or something.

Cold hard cash. If they want my input, they can pay me for my time.

If it’s a small or local business that I like patronizing then I might do something small for them out of generosity and a desire to see them succeed in place of some large chain or corpo.

Re: How I advertise malicious software on Google Ads

#225
post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s a strategy. Ask RyanAir. They systematically shut down any way to communicate with them, except lawsuits. Tried their chatbot, hotline, email, letter, fax, small claims court (I’m not joking they don’t even care about that). Unless you turn up with a court order and confiscate a plane, they simply won’t give a fuck, and I’m sure it’s a tactic to deter 99% of their problems before they start

> small claims court (I’m not joking they don’t even care about that) If they don't show up, doesn't that mean you win by default? (And then you can indeed send a bailiff to seize a plane...)

Oh it does but just because you win doesn’t mean they start caring. A bailiff won’t really get involved for 500 euro compensation. A debt collection agency might. They want a cut of your compensation to deal with RyanAir because they know how annoying they are. Like, sure, you can start a 10 month project over 500 euros and maybe it’ll be fruitful eventually. But who does that? It’s insane. Answer your emails for fuck sake

Re: How I advertise malicious software on Google Ads

#226
I got blocked by Microsoft for trying to advertise on DDG. I signed up for a new account (no prior M$ affiliation to start from), imported my Google Ads campaign, paid them a hundred bucks and was almost ready to spend. Then I uploaded my WA state business license and immediately got force logged out without any reason. An email came by to say I had been blocked. Support was utterly useless, there was no way to appeal that I could find, and I had to file a chargeback with my bank to get the $100 out. Don't waste your time & money, folks

Re: How I advertise malicious software on Google Ads

#227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The underlying government services are hard to access _because_ middlemen stand to profit from providing assistance.

Do you really think that middle man services have enough leverage to convince the government to degrade their services? That is hard to believe. Its more likely that the government process just sucks and these services sprung up to fill a need. At some point it will be improved and these services will disappear.

Not necessarily, but they do prevent government services from being improved by hiding the inefficiencies.

People with influence to fix bureaucracy don’t suffer through it because they can afford the middlemen.

Re: How I advertise malicious software on Google Ads

#228
post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I lived in Jersey City, I committed the crime of living at a 1/2 address. Literally nothing could get delivered to me if they used a Google Maps address bar. My address just didn't exist at all to that search bar. It could be found on maps, just not on that little search bar widget. I ended up just putting my neighbors address and either intercepting delivery drivers or putting in the notes that I was at the hal…

It's pretty messed up that the only way to "solve" this problem is by treating addresses that Google mishandles as uninhabitable, but I'd be lying if I didn't tell my wife I was concerned about living on a corner again when we were looking for houses to buy after that (luckily, the one we liked most and had our offer accepted for wasn't on a corner, and our plan is to never move again!)

It really radicalized me on the "Programmers don't understand [x]" series of articles.

A lot of problems would just be solved by trust-but-verify information. If a user wants to put non-sense in a text box, that should be a 'them problem' but a service that presumes all email address end in .com or that a user doesn't know their own address is worse. With that said, I understand why services do it because the Venn diagram of "will type non-sense into a field then wonder why it didn't work" and "will email into support and be the reason someone drinks" is largely a circle.

Re: How I advertise malicious software on Google Ads

#229
post #200

Google has forgotten the plot. A quick tangent story follows: I attempted to add a Tesla Supercharger as it went live to Google Maps. I was the very first to pay to recharge at the new location. The process went something like this: 1st time: Uploaded 4 photos, local business info, current charger prices, and GPS coordinates. Google replied this would be sent to human review. It was rejected within 6 minutes. 2nd att…

Meanwhile random griefer types work the Google system just fine. For whatever reason some randos altering business hours and posting mass quantities of weird maps reviews, closed updates stay up. Meanwhile on YouTube when I’m not getting questionable medical drugs and gadgets advertised at me on YouTube… I’ll also get what seems like just porn. I got one that I’m pretty sure was heavily hinting at “find under age gir…

CGNAT'ed IP address? I get occasional CloudFlare blocks at home from some hobby-related websites I visit maybe once a week, and I know that no one else in my house is doing anything to hit rate limits.

Re: How I advertise malicious software on Google Ads

#230

Google has forgotten the plot. A quick tangent story follows: I attempted to add a Tesla Supercharger as it went live to Google Maps. I was the very first to pay to recharge at the new location. The process went something like this: 1st time: Uploaded 4 photos, local business info, current charger prices, and GPS coordinates. Google replied this would be sent to human review. It was rejected within 6 minutes. 2nd att…

Another thing they apparently do is let business owners (e.g. hotels) remove negative reviews because they're "defamatory". I had a very factual 3-star review on a hotel that was supposedly very quiet, but was super noisy and the AC was not working. And there was literally nobody at the reception at the time of check-out and nobody picked up the phone either. All in all, nothing serious, but worth a review. Purely fa…

Not just Google but many others. A big travel tech company in Asia removed my review of a shack that I once stayed in, since it mentioned things that the business felt were negative.

After all, there are many customers like you and me. If we’re gone, someone else can fill the gap. Not saying I condone it. I dislike it. But I understand.

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