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Is it halachicly permissible to click on an advertisement on a webpage, if you know (with certainty) in advance that you will not purchase the product being advertised for sale? You are simply curious about the product, but you know that you have absolutely no interest in considering a purchase.
By clicking on the ad, the advertiser incurs a pay per click fee to the website host or its agency. Aside from costing the company for that, perhaps another issur might be similar to the prohibition of walking into a store and asking a salesman for the price of a product that you know you have absolutely no intention of considering to purchase.
If there is an issur, if you do click it are you liable to repay the advertiser for his PPC cost incurred?
Fancy meeting you here, mermaid.
1)Yes it is permissible.
2)Same as #3.
3)Even if mistakenly clicked still not liable to repay.
I know i shouldn’t be feeding the trolls but they are so cute sometimes.
“Terutz” is not the correct terminology. “Teshuva” would be more appropriate. A kashya gets a terutz; a she’eila gets a teshuva.
My vast knowledge of how the ppc system works and some basic halacha knowledge.
“Yes it is permissible.”
Actually, it sounds like pure gezel.
“My vast knowledge of how the ppc system works and some basic halacha knowledge.”
Please do tell. We’re all curious to hear how causing someone financial loss is “permissible”.
yitayningwut: believe me, this is no she’eila
Of course it’s Mutar. The advertiser has no expectation whatsoever that the only people clicking on his ad intend to buy. He probably prefers that you click anyway just on the off chance that you may change your mind. But regardless, It’s his choice to pay every time someone clicks. If you want to put it in Halacha terms, since the minhag hamedina is that people click on ads indiscriminately, that is kovea that his intention is to allow it.
This is not the case of asking a salesman for help when you don’t intend to buy.
This is more similar to a store offering a promotional gift just for entering the store. They must understand that many people will only come for the gift and won’t actually buy anything. However, they are hoping that their products are so good that people will change their mind when they see it.
I see we’re still up, even after the asifa. 😉
Brech: The issue with entering a store and asking for help when you have no intention of buying is both onaas d’varim and ona’as mamon. The former because you get his hopes up and the latter because you are potentially taking him away from a customer who would buy. With that background in place, we can answer your questions. I’m going to take them in reverse order.
1-If there is an issur, if you do click it are you liable to repay the advertiser for his PPC cost incurred?
No. Even if there were an issur we rule (no source yet. mechon mamre doesn’t have shulchan aruch :/) that you are not chayav for this kind of onah. Which brings us back to your first question.
2-Is it halachicly permissible to click on an advertisement on a webpage, if you know (with certainty) in advance that you will not purchase the product being advertised for sale?
Yes. The ads go up with the understanding that they are just that — advertisements. The pay-per-click is an advertising fee, not a sales commission. The advertiser knows that not every click will generate a sale. He pays because each click has a chance of being a sale. In off line terms, the ppc fee is for getting you into the store, not for talking to you about merchandise.
PS Please don’t knock brech. People here are very understanding of someone who has far-fetched shailos in Orach Chayyim or Yoreh Deah. He’s going the extra mile to be ethical in Choshen Mishpat; let’s help him out. (Especially those who have learned more of it. This means you Popa, yitayningwut, Sam2, 147, DY and anyone else qualified.)
You can take the shaila at face value if you want, but the fact is that this is a known troll.
Watch out brech.The Billy Goats Gruff are stronger than you think.
Yes it is permissible. When a person or company Advertises part of the budget is counting on no gain on the ppc. If you do it knowing who is benefiting then I think it is wrong.
The question was once asked. There is a tendency of people who buy from Walmart before they go to country knowing they will return it at the end of the summer. For the fact that Walmart has a very good return policy. Is it wrong because if a yid has stock in Walmart he loses out on the returned merchandise.
The answer was it is fine. When a stockholder buys stocks. The person knows of there relaxed return policy.
Same applies over here.
What I Think,
I suggest you re-read this halacha again:
http://www.businesshalacha.com/articles/cool-return
It is strictly FORBIDDEN to buy from Walmart knowing that you will return it at the end of the summer.
Prohibitions include: Geneivas Da’as, damage, Chillul Hashem, and possibly Ribis.
It is mind-boggling to me that laypeople here will so easily give a “heter” on a question that may involve d’Oraysa Issurim. Have any of you so-confident “yes it is permissible” repliers actually asked this question to a Rov? Or are you just relying on your own brilliant reasoning to permit something that may be theft?
Ribis and geneivas daas only applies to a Jew. It doesnt apply with Walmart or Citibank.
Optimus: I just read some of his other posts and you’re probably right. It’s pretty ironic that I stood up for him since he probably wouldn’t count me in a minyan.
Shraga, i think few people here explained the real case in great detail. Do you not agree with those explanations? Or do you think it should be assur despite of it? Or are you just pointing out that people shouldnt listen to heterim from online anonymous posters?
Gabie, if you go to the link i posted above you will see that geneivas daas in this case DOES apply to other nations as well.
2qwerty,
“i think few people here explained the real case in great detail”
Not really. All we saw here was ASSUMPTIONS of how an advertiser feels about it, and theories of why it can be compared to something else.
“Do you not agree with those explanations?”
It actually doesn’t matter whether or not I agree. The point is that those explanations may very well be wrong, and that laypeople here are taking a big achrayus by relying on their theories to tell someone that something which may be forbidden by the Torah is allowed.
It’s totally possible that you and others are correct in your theorizing. But to go ahead and say it’s ok without making sure with a posek… Brrr, scary business…
As it happens, I used to be an adsense advertiser. And I would absolutely feel someone was stealing from me if I know he clicked on my ad, making me pay money, while having no intention of buying anything from me.
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