Editing Click fraud (section)

===Michael Anthony Bradley===
In 2004, California resident Michael Anthony Bradley created Google Clique, a software program that he claimed could let spammers defraud [[Google]] out of millions of dollars in fraudulent clicks, which ultimately led to his arrest and indictment.<ref>{{cite web|title=Criminal Docket for: USA v. Bradley, 5:04-cr-20108 (N.D.Cal.)|url=https://www.docketalarm.com/cases/California_Northern_District_Court/5--04-cr-20108/USA_v._Bradley/|publisher=Docket Alarm, Inc.|access-date=6 August 2013}}</ref>

Bradley was able to demonstrate that fraud was possible, and was impossible for Google to detect. The [[United_States_Department_of_Justice|Department of Justice]] alleged that he contacted Google saying that unless they paid him $100,000 for the rights to the technology, he would sell it to spammers, costing Google millions. As a result, Bradley was arrested for [[extortion]] and [[mail fraud]] in 2006.<ref name="BradlyArrest">[[US Department of Justice]]; [http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/bradleyArrest.htm "Computer Programmer Arrested for Extortion and Mail Fraud Scheme Targeting Google, Inc."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061001184925/http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/bradleyArrest.htm |date=2006-10-01 }}. March 18, 2004</ref>

Charges were dropped without explanation on November 22, 2006; both the US Attorney's office and Google declined to comment. ''[[Business Week]]'' suggests that Google was unwilling to cooperate with the prosecution, as it would be forced to disclose its click fraud detection techniques publicly.<ref name="newsweek">Elgin, Ben; [https://web.archive.org/web/20120706054600/http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2006-12-04/the-vanishing-click-fraud-casebusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice "The Vanishing Click Fraud Case"]. [[Business Week]]. December 4, 2006</ref>