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Google dumps Forestle

Alleges artificial clicks
Tuesday, 2 September 2008, 09:28

INTERNET SEARCH BEHEMOTH Google has officially ended its partnership with Forestle, a self-described "green Internet search engine".

The Mountain View giant, which once had the ethos "Don't Do Evil" accused the non-profit website of offering “incentives to click artificially on sponsored links”.

Forestle vehemently denied the allegations and noted that a prominent banner warned users to click on Google sponsored links only if they were “really interested” in them.

The website is now asking visitors to patronise the eco-friendly Znout.com search engine until an alternative arrangement could be found.

The nascent company had planned to donate all advertising revenue to the Nature Conservancy, an organisation dedicated to protecting the world's rapidly-disappearing rainforests.

According to Forestle, a single search would have saved approximately 0.1 square meters (0.11 yd²) of the precious resource.

L'Inq
Forestle

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A square 4 inches on a side

"According to Forestle, a single search would have saved approximately 0.1 square meters (0.11 yd²) of the precious resource." Good Lord, that's small!!! It would take 100s of clicks just to save my dad's backyard by that method. I'm not familiar with their methods, but if money is the issue, they need to come to the American people. I hear middle-class Republicans give away tons of money to this type of stuff.

posted by : Jason Goatcher, 05 September 2008Complain about this comment
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