DO Global, a Chinese Android App Developer company has been banned for producing fake ad clicks to gain revenue, committing ad fraud, and abusing a user’s permissions. The ban came in place after security researchers discovered the company’s fraudulent practices.
In a statement released by Google, they said, “We take our responsibility to protect users and advertisers seriously, and invest in tools and resources to fight fraud and abuse globally. We actively investigate malicious behavior, and when we find violations, we take action, including the removal of a developer’s ability to monetize their app with AdMob or publish on Play.”
Google did not officially confirm that they are banning DO Global.
Security researchers found that 6 apps made by DO Global contained a fake ad-clicking code that will run in the background even if the application is closed.
The company has around 100 applications in Google’s Play Store, in which most of them are listed under “Pic Tools Group”.
46 out of their 100 applications have been removed.
In a research conducted by Check Point, they said, “In a world where ad revenue can produce a very high income, it’s not surprising why malicious actors are after fraudulent activities against ad agencies. ‘Follow the money’ is a good rule of thumb while investigating a malicious campaign.”
Google took action after BuzzFeed found out the fraudulent practices.
This is not the first time that the tech giant has removed a large number of applications, last year Google had to delete 60 games from its Play Store after they found out that a bug in the game applications displayed pornographic advertisements, most of the games were made for children.