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The Flourishing Business of Fake YouTube Views (nytimes.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: Martin Vassilev makes a good living selling fake views on YouTube videos. Working from home in Ottawa, he has sold about 15 million views so far this year, putting him on track to bring in more than $200,000, records show. Mr. Vassilev, 32, does not provide the views himself. His website, 500Views.com, connects customers with services that offer views, likes and dislikes generated by computers, not humans. When a supplier cannot fulfill an order, Mr. Vassilev -- like a modern switchboard operator -- quickly connects with another. "I can deliver an unlimited amount of views to a video," Mr. Vassilev said in an interview. "They've tried to stop it for so many years, but they can't stop it. There's always a way around."
[...] Just as other social media companies have been plagued by impostor accounts and artificial influence campaigns, YouTube has struggled with fake views for years. The fake-view ecosystem of which Mr. Vassilev is a part can undermine YouTube's credibility by manipulating the digital currency that signals value to users. While YouTube says fake views represent just a tiny fraction of the total, they still have a significant effect by misleading consumers and advertisers.
[...] Just as other social media companies have been plagued by impostor accounts and artificial influence campaigns, YouTube has struggled with fake views for years. The fake-view ecosystem of which Mr. Vassilev is a part can undermine YouTube's credibility by manipulating the digital currency that signals value to users. While YouTube says fake views represent just a tiny fraction of the total, they still have a significant effect by misleading consumers and advertisers.
How does Google get away with activities that would be called fraud in any other marketplace ?
5 out of 6 people enjoy Russian Roulette & 6 out of 7 Dwarfs are not Happy
This sounds like the press is setting up the base for a story about how views for popular conservative content is "fake," and how the backlash when they censor such content is "Russian bots."
Oh man, thanks. I needed a good laugh.
Who knew that he could be so right, that even the Youtube votes are faked, the precious Youtube votes!
What he is basically saying is that he's a psychopath, and he's proud of it.
Shoot the bastard. Or at least cut his balls off. He may not be the kind of psychopath that kills people before lunch or becomes a murderous ruthless dictator, but more and more evidence points to the fact that psychopathy is genetic, and one of his children may eventually turn out to be that kind of psychopath.
These abominations' genetic filth must be excised from the human race.
Fake views are a thing since before YouTube or even Googke even existed. I remember guys at every big dotcom bubble era company setting up bots at their home computers in 1999.
Then ad companies started to demand beacons and track IP adresses. After which botnet services sprung up. Often owned by those very employees. (One was by a "friend" of mine, and used all CounterStrike servers, since he had a super-popular CS mod.)
I am not the least bit surprised that YT views are as fake all all reviews on all shopping sites and IMDB since forever.
(In the past, it helped to train an expert system / bayesian filter, to only count those who actually made real comments. Today, the bots make better comments than the so-called real humans.)
While YouTube says fake views represent just a tiny fraction of the total,
Sure, because they can only count detected fake views. Which brings us back to the original claim of the fake view seller, namely that there is always a way around detection.
This would never happen to elections. There is absolutely no need to burden the voters with having to prove their identity and eligibility, and anyone telling you otherwise is a hateful racist.
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
What, you thought those fake and disturbing kids videos got twelve million views apiece because people actually wanted to watch them?
The web has been turned into an oligopoly and it's filled with liars.
And the problem now is that the liars can have more credibility. Someone calls a liar out and he's a "troll".
Just disagreeing or being a skeptic means one is a "troll" or "hater" .
The web is dead, Fred. I don't even know why I still come here.
Let the advertisers rot. If your product can speak for itself, it will. If it can't, then it should die. Hopefully in a fire. Thank you. AC
...digital currency that signals value to users.
More to advertisers whom are the ones being scammed.
And definitely not to the viewers, whom of course are not even the youtube users but their cattle.
Google's performance has gone down over the years. It used to bring up better results but now it's mostly from the same sites and it's 99% the same as bing or any other search engine. Forum threads, blog posts don't come up often and it's mostly results from corporate websites.
Youtube also has another weird problem. It's recommendation has gotten absolutely click baitey only. It used to suggest really interesting videos but now all it suggests are click baits from a handful of content creators.
Google and Youtube ranking has been gamed way too much now, and Google in turn have really neutered their algorithms.
I am amazed the internet still values "views" and "clicks". Until advertisers stop placing value on such stupid metrics, this is going to be a problem. They should be focusing on actual sales and paying people based on that.
If you had a car dealership where instead of commission for sales, the sales people were paid based on how many people came in to look at cars, you bet there would be rampant fraud there as well.
Well, the dynamics of this space are interesting - you have the normal human eye balls that consume the media and are recorded as "views", "likes", "+1s", etc. These stats drive the ads - their ranking, prices, shows as well as various charges/payments made against/to clients. All known, expected and documented. (all of that driven by Google's internal infrastructure)
Now enter 3rd-party software running on hundreds (thousands?) of hosts, programmatically doing what was initially deemed to be "for human eyes only". The economics go to shit and so the programs are now trying to tell humans apart from programs, while the other side is pretending to be human.
This entire thing looks like the never-ending "adblock" discussion, but elevated to the next level. While I have a strong option on the old topic, this new thing is obviously a lot more nuanced. There are probably fake/robotic Google accounts in play, a bunch of AWS instances and may be even a botnet - none of that is cool. Yet, sticking it to the Man (using software tools) is kinda cool.
Trying to look at new cars reviews on youtube is a PITA, a large portion are text readers reading off a the same blog. Same goes for reviews on appliances, when I tried to search on air conditioners. I report them, they never go away, youtube is slacking hard allowing this crap to ruin youtube reviews. And the fake views are promoting these fake videos.
Its a circle of fakeness.
See there is a difference to say in a cynic ton pretending to do sarcasm "This would never happen to elections. There is absolutely no need to burden the voters with having to prove their identity and eligibility, and anyone telling you otherwise is a hateful racist." and the ACTUALITY of it happening.
When checked the occurrence of true voter willful fraud is incredibly minimal, a few voters out of millions *at most* (most story you hear about people registered at two places are people having moved on but forgot to de-register at the old place , and there is no fraud, they only vote once) . But some people pretend it happens very often and want to impose verification which are very difficult to pass for poor (as in no money) voters. See such assholes long saw the correlation between those mostly poor demographic and a certain political arty, so what is the great thing about pretend-voter-fraud laws for them is that it kicks out those voters and so enable to skew to vote toward THEIR party. e.g. exclude homeless or people working 2*40 jobs the one because they have no address, the other because they have no time left to pass through hoops. Disenfranchise enough people and you can skew election.
here is the thing though : voter fraud is incredibly rare and negligible. You want to pretend otherwise ? Then advance evidence, like peer review or verifiable study. Go ahead. All those which exists out there all shows voter fraud to be extremely negligible.
C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
visit randi.org
I rethought it via Via APK Hosts File Engine 2.0++ 64-bit for Linux & BSD h t t p : / / a p k . i t - m a t e . c o . u k / A P K H o s t s F i l e E n g i n e F o r L i n u x . z i p (remove spaces between characters & download).
More security/speed/reliability/anonymity vs. any SINGLE solution (99% of threats use hostnames vs. IP addresses most firewalls use) more efficiently/FASTER + NATIVELY 4 less!
(Vs. "Bolt on 'MoAr' illogic-logic" competitors slowing you, hosts speed you up 2 ways (adblocks + hardcodes u spend most time @) vs. competition loaded w/ security bugs (DNS/AntiVir) + overheads (messagepass ('souled-out' to advertiser addons) + filtering drivers) & their complexity leads to exploitation) + protects vs. script trackers & ads + DNS requestlog tracking
* ONLY 1 of its kind in GUI on Linux!
Better vs. Windows model in speed/efficiency/merge.
APK
P.S.=> Protects vs. trackers/ads/DNS reques tracking/botnets/malware downloads/email malcious payloads... apk
Your software is just fine - well written, functional... I'm going to continue using the Host File Engine by mmell February 17, 2017
Your premise that hostfiles are a good way to deal with advertising and malvertising is quite valid - by JazzLad April 20, 2016
his hosts program is actually pretty good by xenotransplant August 10 2015
his hosts tool is actually useful for those cases in which one does indeed want to locally block stuff outright while consuming minimum system resources by alexgieg September 25 2015
I like your host file system by Karmashock September 09 2015
that APK guy, I use his host file by rogoshen1 Tuesday March 03, 2015
I personally use a HOSTS file blocker produced from a genius called APK by 110010001000 October 27 2017
Linux model = faster/more efficient
APK
P.S.=> APK Hosts File Engine 9.0++ SR-1 32/64-bit for Windows https://www.google.com/search?...
Yes, I know you would. That's why your ilk are laboring so vigorously against the 2nd Amendment.
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
"... car reviews on youtube"? What? Why would that be a thing? That doesn't make any sense at all.
I don't respond to AC's.
Current monetization models place value on the opportunity to connect with a potential customer. Any time the outcome is measured by something completely intangible (i.e. it has no actual value and isn't an actual thing), there will be rampant fraud. If I am a marketer and you pay me based on how many people call your business on the phone, regardless of results, then it will be easy for me to steal lots of money from you.
Monetization needs to be based on closed transactions where there is actual economic activity to derive the reward from. If I'm a marketer and I only get paid if you get paid, that changes the game completely, and I must generate actual sales for you and not just 'traffic.'
they're either branding or they're political ads. I get ads for HBO making sure I know what HBO is. There's no sales pitch. No "Call to Action". Just a vague 7 second advert about HBO to make sure I know they exist. I got Coke ads until the White Supremacists scared them off. And don't get me started on political ads. I subscribe to a raft of left wing channels so I get bombarded with Praguer U ads (which confused the hell out of me until I learned that Praguer U is not a university, it's a right wing think tank/propaganda mill).
Online advertising doesn't work well to drive sales. What it does do well is make sure you're thinking positively about a given product line.
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
....Its a circle of fakeness.
It's -- technically -- a circle-jerk of fakeness
This is why.
Good luck with that with Google, Friendsbook and the like.
You won't be convincing anytime soon neither new nor old MBAs running the ad companies for the final victims which are happily installed in the past century TV/music model.
Voter fraud actually does happen.
In the recent elections, 6500 voters in NH were "non-resident" voters, using same-day registration.
(In NH you can register on the day of voting, and you don't need to be a resident - only that you are in the process of moving. Basically you "pinky swear" that you will be a NH resident real soon, and they let you vote.)
Of the 6540 people who voted as non-resident, only about 1000 of these actually moved to NH.
The difference between the Republican and Democratic senate election was about 1000 votes.
Neighboring states are predominately democratic, so with a statistical certainty the non-resident vote changed the NH senator from an "R" to a "D" this last election.
This really happened, voter fraud flipped a senate seat, and that senator does not properly represent the interests of her state.
Also, at least 196 of those non-resident voters have voted in more than one state.
We totally need voter ID to prevent abuse.
I rethought it via APK Hosts File Engine 2.0++ 64-bit for Linux & BSD h t t p : / / a p k . i t - m a t e . c o . u k / A P K H o s t s F i l e E n g i n e F o r L i n u x . z i p (remove spaces between characters & download).
Yields more security/speed/reliability/anonymity vs. any SINGLE solution (99% of threats use hostnames vs. IP addresses most firewalls use) more efficiently/FASTER + NATIVELY 4 less!
(Vs. "Bolt on 'MoAr' illogic-logic" competitors slowing you, hosts speed you up 2 ways (adblocks + hardcodes u spend most time @) vs. competition loaded w/ security bugs (DNS/AntiVir) + overheads (messagepass ('souled-out' to advertiser addons) + filtering drivers) & their complexity leads to exploitation) + protects vs. script trackers & ads + DNS requestlog tracking
* ONLY 1 of its kind in GUI on Linux!
Better vs. Windows model in speed/efficiency/merge.
APK
P.S.=> Protects vs. trackers/ads/DNS reques tracking/botnets/malware downloads/email malcious payloads... apk
Your software is just fine - well written, functional... I'm going to continue using the Host File Engine by mmell February 17, 2017
Your premise that hostfiles are a good way to deal with advertising and malvertising is quite valid - by JazzLad April 20, 2016
his hosts program is actually pretty good by xenotransplant August 10 2015
his hosts tool is actually useful for those cases in which one does indeed want to locally block stuff outright while consuming minimum system resources by alexgieg September 25 2015
I like your host file system by Karmashock September 09 2015
that APK guy, I use his host file by rogoshen1 Tuesday March 03, 2015
I personally use a HOSTS file blocker produced from a genius called APK by 110010001000 October 27 2017
Linux model = faster/more efficient
APK
P.S.=> APK Hosts File Engine 9.0++ SR-1 32/64-bit for Windows https://www.google.com/search?...
Youtube also has another weird problem. It's recommendation has gotten absolutely click baitey only. It used to suggest really interesting videos but now all it suggests are click baits from a handful of content creators.
And the main culprit for that is your own human brain.
Youtube mostly uses machine learning nowadays for its recommendation system.
Automatic systems designed to increase the time spent online watching, so that Google can earn more money.
The AI powering Youtube autonomously learn that showing you video A instead of Video B (given that you've watched X, Y, Z) is more likely to keep you around.
And due to how human brains work, it *happens* that video A is going to be click baitey because that's what works the best at attracting humans attention.
The AI is simply independently rediscovering and learning on its own what has been studied since a long time regarding, e.g. , content on the TV that attracts attention (answer : emotions, specially violent ones).
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
Because people can't read anymore, they have to watch a 20 minute video instead.
I still trust someone I don't know on Youtube then I would CNN or NBC! At least the youtube video has a chance at not being a lie.
But really, everyone should be down their own research on any political story. If people did that, people would know Trump isn't a racist and he is a great president.
I am APK the great "LORD of HOSTS", a.k.a. AlecStaar from ArsTechnica or Alexander Peter Kowalski.
See subject & APK Hosts File Engine 2.0++ 64-bit for Linux h t t p : / / I . a m . a . f u c k i n g / a s s h o l e . r e t a r d . z i p (remove spaces between characters & download).
I am the godlike creator of various GUI front-ends for other people's configuration files.
I think only one person stalks me as I shitpost and I dusted them on another site but in reality I am widely hated all.
When people state the truth about me I get really mad and accuse them of projecting which is something I do all the time.
Don't call me out on anything as I will state that you are a webmaster and that I cut off your revenue stream.
You must be conspiring with the Jews and Soros if you disagree with me.
Mistaking mockery and parody for impersonation is how I think people flatter me because I can't possibly understand that they detest me.
See me lash out at one person for 2 weeks straight and claim everyone who mocks my retarded ass is actually them.
Bask in my greatness as I post my advertisements in discussions where they don't belong, by the way this is every discussion I post in.
I demand your age sex and location so that I can threaten to show up and kick your ass and will call you a pussycake but am actually too scared to actually do anything but be a keyboard warrior.
Watch as I claim I am world class and a winner but in reality I am a fucking loser.
Witness my descent into madness
APK
See my subject & answer that: & Why do you also STALK me by UNIDENTIFIABLE anonymous posts as well? AFRAID to stand behind your lies??
* THIS I have to hear, lol - it WILL truly be a classic I'm sure!
(CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE SUDDENLY? You wouldn't answer LAST TIME I ASKED IT + YOU DOWNMOD "HID" IT (the sure sign of YOUR total SELF-defeat) https://it.slashdot.org/commen... )
Plus, since you say I'm the "Lord of Hosts"? My "portrait" https://365songsblog.files.wor... (lol) so SATAN, get thee behind me!
APK
P.S.=> Grow up you obsessed loon who not only IMPERSONATES me but also STALKS me by UNIDENTIFIABLE anonymous posts constantly... apk
Obligatory XKCD that you need to read and understand.
I know 1 thing for SURE: YOU, unidentifiable anonymous troll who STALKS me, don't have ANYTHING like this to your name/credit https://news.slashdot.org/comm... & so does everyone else reading vs. your EFFETE ineffective "trolling" harassing me!
I also know that YOU are OUT of "downmodpoints" you farm via multiple sockpuppets here to "hide" it, lol - & if you come up with more (since you downmodded it before)? I will just SYSTEMATICALLY & METHODICALLY EXHAUST YOU OF THEM, again (as always, lol) - you lose on EVERY FRONT possible, no questions asked, lmao!
You wouldn't be replying otherwise.
* Why? You're too STUPID to ever get the better of me...
APK
P.S.=> By the way, lastly - Do you want MORE of those GOOD REVIEWS of my work from MORE registered /.ers (who unlike you USED their name here whereas YOU HIDE FROM ME because you FEAR ME)? Ask - I've DOZENS more like them (& you certainly don't because you're a no talent unskilled JEALOUS "Lil' Jowie" mere "ne'er-do-well" & you not only KNOW it, you prove it constantly)... apk
So, you're saying that they're auto generated auto videos?
Your software is just fine - well written, functional... I'm going to continue using the Host File Engine by mmell February 17, 2017
Your premise that hostfiles are a good way to deal with advertising and malvertising is quite valid - by JazzLad April 20, 2016
his hosts program is actually pretty good by xenotransplant August 10 2015
his hosts tool is actually useful for those cases in which one does indeed want to locally block stuff outright while consuming minimum system resources by alexgieg September 25 2015
I like your host file system by Karmashock September 09 2015
that APK guy, I use his host file by rogoshen1 Tuesday March 03, 2015
I personally use a HOSTS file blocker produced from a genius called APK by 110010001000 October 27 2017
Linux model = faster/more efficient
APK
P.S.=> APK Hosts File Engine 9.0++ SR-1 32/64-bit for Windows https://www.google.com/search?...
Thanks for reminding me how annoying it is when I'm looking specifically for text instructions on how to configure something, instructions and diagrams on how to fix something, or video game location maps, and all the results are f'ing youtube videos put together by some jackass in love with their editing software. I want a quick reference, not a video I have to scan through, pause, rewind, and eventually give up on.
YOU, unidentifiable anonymous troll who STALKS me, don't have ANYTHING like this to your name/credit https://news.slashdot.org/comm... as does everyone else reading vs. your EFFETE ineffective "trolling" harassing me!
I also know that YOU are OUT of "downmodpoints" you farm via multiple sockpuppets here to "hide" it, lol - & if you come up with more (since you downmodded it before)?
I will just INEVITABLY + SYSTEMATICALLY & METHODICALLY EXHAUST YOU OF THEM, again (as always, lol) - you lose on EVERY FRONT possible, no questions asked, lmao!
You wouldn't be replying otherwise.
* Why? You're too STUPID to ever get the better of me...
APK
P.S.=> By the way, lastly - Do you want MORE of those GOOD REVIEWS of my work from MORE registered /.ers (who unlike you USED their name here whereas YOU HIDE FROM ME because you FEAR ME)? Ask - I've DOZENS more like them (& you certainly don't because you're a no talent unskilled JEALOUS "Lil' Jowie" mere "ne'er-do-well" & you not only KNOW it, you prove it constantly)... apk
See my subject & answer that: & Why do you also STALK me by UNIDENTIFIABLE anonymous posts as well? AFRAID to stand behind your lies??
* THIS I have to hear, lol - it WILL truly be a classic I'm sure!
(CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE SUDDENLY? You wouldn't answer LAST TIME I ASKED IT + YOU DOWNMOD "HID" IT (the sure sign of YOUR total SELF-defeat) https://it.slashdot.org/commen... )
Plus, since you say I'm the "Lord of Hosts"? My "portrait" https://365songsblog.files.wor... (lol) so SATAN, get thee behind me!
APK
P.S.=> Grow up you obsessed loon who not only IMPERSONATES me but also STALKS me by UNIDENTIFIABLE anonymous posts constantly... apk
Your software is just fine - well written, functional... I'm going to continue using the Host File Engine by mmell February 17, 2017
Your premise that hostfiles are a good way to deal with advertising and malvertising is quite valid - by JazzLad April 20, 2016
his hosts program is actually pretty good by xenotransplant August 10 2015
his hosts tool is actually useful for those cases in which one does indeed want to locally block stuff outright while consuming minimum system resources by alexgieg September 25 2015
I like your host file system by Karmashock September 09 2015
that APK guy, I use his host file by rogoshen1 Tuesday March 03, 2015
I personally use a HOSTS file blocker produced from a genius called APK by 110010001000 October 27 2017
Linux model = faster/more efficient
APK
P.S.=> APK Hosts File Engine 9.0++ SR-1 32/64-bit for Windows https://www.google.com/search?...
I remember when Russel Crow was being interviewed about a movie he starred in. The interviewer asked how historically accurate the movie was. Crow assured him it was fairly true to history. "However," he added, "if you get all your history from movies, you have other problems." I think this principle applies to people who are not discerning about where they are getting their "news" and are untaught how to filter.
I don't threaten vs. a NOBODY
Shut your fucking pie hole you lying sack of shit.
You threaten people all the time and when called on it you hide in the fucking corner and piss yourself.
So come on pussycake post your fucking address
Khyber STALKS me by AC again & ALWAYS SAYS "Lying Sack of Shit" (not to me always either ala e.g.) https://slashdot.org/comments.... https://slashdot.org/comments.... https://slashdot.org/comments....
YOU MADE A HUGE MISTAKE THREATENING ME HERE Khyber https://slashdot.org/comments....
&
ANYONE I merely addressed in TURN when DIRECTED @ me by UNIDENTIFIABLE anonymous you use STALKING ME? Isn't threatening ANYONE real, period.
(That is, UNLESS your name is "Anonymous Coward" on your birth certificate stupid & it isn't...)
APK
P.S.=> Khyber CAUGHT RED-HANDED "defending himself" by ANONYMOUS COWARD here too https://slashdot.org/comments.... ? Please, lol... apk
href="http://myknowledgejungle.blogspot.com/2018/08/blog-post-youtube-trending-page-spam.html/">some YouTube video in trending page big spam
This most worst experience in YouTube just read you get to know