A recent investigation revealed that several Android apps developed by China’s Cheetah Mobile and Kika Tech were running ad click fraud scheme to trick app developers into thinking new installs were coming from ads within the offending applications.
The Google spokesperson also added that the rest of the suspicious apps are currently under the scanner and if they too are found engaged in such schemes, necessary action will be taken. Listed below are the remaining six apps which are currently under investigation by Google:
Aside from removing CM File Manager and Kika Keyboard from the Play Store, Google has reportedly delisted them from the AdMob mobile advertising network too. The fraud scheme, which Google calls ‘install attribution abuse’, involves a developer claiming a share of the revenue generated by app downloads despite playing no role in guiding users to install the app.
