OMG! Grant Shapps' family are thieves!

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   Hollie Thomasposted 12 years ago

   Just heard on the news tonight that Grant Schapps, former Housing Minister for the Conservative Government, is closely connected to those who operate scraper sites and copy content. Yes, that's right, the Ministers wife, mother and sister's websites have all been slapped by Google for copied content. I must admit, that some months ago I found that Mr Schapps had started following me on twitter. Why was this odd? Because my tweets were locked and he did not ask permission! What does this say about our politicians? And how should we punish them for intellectual property theft and hacking twitter accounts?
   
   I'm afraid I can't post a link to the information, as it's not due for publication until tomorrow.

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      Mighty Momposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Well, it sounds like they, not the original owners of the content, have been slapped by Google, right?
      Not that a right Google slapping isn't tough punishment in and of itself, but for such blatant pirating. is not remotely sufficient.
      
      Please post link tomorrow Hollie!
      Horrible, but actually good to have scandal and intrigue somewhere else for a change.

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         Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Yes MM, a cabinet ministers family have been Google slapped and it's on the front Page of the news (not us for once, eh?)
         
         I will MM. I must admit that given my current outrage for our present Government, I also found this, not only funny, but ironic

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            Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Not only have they been slapped, but Google ads banned.
            
            http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012 … sfeed=true

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   IzzyMposted 12 years ago

   There was something mentioned about him in the forums the other day, and I checked him out on Google. A new entry had been added to his wikipedia page - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Shapps
   
   On 3 September 2012 it was reported that Grant Shapps had founded a company called TrafficPaymaster that breached Google's code of practice. Using the name Michael Green he claimed audiences could "make $20,000 in 20 days guaranteed or your money back". The TrafficPaymaster software creates web pages by "spinning and scraping" content from other sites to attract advertising from Google.[10][11] A string of 19 website businesses founded by Shapps (occasionally operating under the alias 'Michael Green') were later blacklisted by Google for breaches of it's rules on copyright infringement, and were banned from carrying their advertisements. Many of the companies established by Shapps were later transferred to the names of his wife, daughter, and mother, and he argues he no longer has any involvement in their operation.

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      Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Isn't that just like a bloody Tory? The dirty rotten scoundrel, spinning and scraping content from folks like us, just like their policies..rob,rob, rob.

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         IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         After the MPs expenses scandal I have no time for any of them. Pigs in troughs, the lot of them!
         
         Love to see a cheating scraper going down, all the same

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   HowardBThinameposted 12 years ago

   To make matters worse, ... "The network of businesses are run from the same server that runs Shapps's official parliamentary website ..."
   
   Oh man - that guy's going down!
   
   His wife sounds like a real piece of work, too.

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   IzzyMposted 12 years ago

   Just noticed in that Guardian article, the stupid buggers have given him two very nice dofollow backlinks! How mental is that!!
   
   Edit: FIVE, not two.

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