$ 46,000 is the sum lost by Idris Sami, a young Franco-Moroccan entrepreneur because he did not follow the rules dictated by Google. An advertising case in which the rules do not always seem to be clear. Details.
By launching into the world of the web, Idris Sami could never have imagined that he would live such a mishap . Only 19 years old, this Franco-Moroccan had the idea to create a
website allowing people to send messages to their friends for free, MesTextos.com , reports the website Business Insider.
The young Sami used Adsense, Google's advertising system that allows website publishers to display ads on their platform and receive a portion of revenue. Until the beginning of this year, the site was working very well and attracting more and more users. In December 2013, many of them clicked on the ads appearing on MesTextos.com. This earned Sami $ 46,000. But then the young man will learn that using Adsense, it is necessary that the advertisements are represented exactly as Google wants, at the risk of being sanctioned.
All money returned to advertisers
So on January 28, Google has implemented its sanctions by closing the account of the young entrepreneur. "We have disabled your Google Adsense account," said the subject of the email he received from the firm. Sami has also been banned from advertising programs until further notice. In addition, the $ 46,000 he earned was returned to advertisers.
In an e-mail sent to the young entrepreneur, Google claims that MesTextos.com "incited or forced" users to click on ads. Which is against the rules. But interviewed by Business Insider Idris Sami says he has never used such practices. He also said he was unhappy about losing the $ 46,000 he considers his due.
Sami had been congratulated by Google agents
Moreover, all these sanctions surprised the young entrepreneur, because a few days before they fell, on January 1 and 15, he had received two emails from two Google salespeople who congratulated him for his ability to generate so much profits. The latter had even offered to help him earn more and no one had warned him that there was the slightest problem.
Google declined to comment on the case. A spokesman for the company, however, summed up briefly with Business Insider saying: "We always send a note to the website publisher explaining our policy and in many cases we give them a chance to change their policies. pages to comply with the rules.
Possible legal remedy
According to Idris Sami, however, the regulation provided in French does not have the same content as the English one. As a result, this often puts website publishers in a delicate situation. Although his case is somewhat peculiar, a good part of Google's clientele is composed of website publishers who complain about the lack of clarity in the rules of the famous search engine.
Currently, the US firm is sued in the United States by several publishers who accuse him of "refusing suddenly and without explanation" to pay them as soon as their sites start to work well. The young Franco-Moroccan businessman also plans to have recourse to justice to recover his money. For now, he works with a lawyer.