How I advertise malicious software on Google Ads
- ID
- 22979
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 09 Sep 2026, 7:43 PM
- Fetched
- 11 Sep 2026, 6:13 PM
- Provider
- Hacker News
- Category
- dev-community
- Original URL
- https://xlii.space/eng/malicious-software-on-google-ads/
- Source URL
- https://hnrss.org/best
Summary
- Score
- 6.5
- Created
- 11 Sep 2026, 6:19 PM
- Tags
- Audience
- developersvibe_coderssaas_founders
What happened
A developer built RACE, a native macOS terminal multiplexer in Rust, and tried Google Ads for the first time, spending $500 before Google suspended the account for 'malicious software' and 'compromised site.' The app was signed and notarized, the website was static with minimal JS (only Cloudflare Analytics), and multiple security checks (Google Safe Browsing, VirusTotal) found nothing. Every appeal was rejected with no explanation of what was allegedly malicious or why submitted evidence was insufficient. After the post gained traction on Hacker News, Google reinstated the account—still with no explanation.
Why it matters
If you plan to use Google Ads for a dev tool or SaaS, budget for the real risk of unexplained suspension and a fully automated appeal process that gives no actionable feedback. This is a concrete data point that $500 in ad spend can vanish into opaque moderation with no recourse except public visibility.
Discussion angle
What's your fallback customer-acquisition plan if Google Ads blacklists your product with zero explanation—and is public shaming now the only working escalation path?