The number and percentage of invalid clicks on ads will be shown to Google advertisers, as the search giant takes on the niggling issue of click fraud.

Google has taken a step toward more transparency regarding click fraud and has tweaked its AdWords system to display invalid-click data to advertisers, reports CNET. Even inadvertent double clicks on an ad will not be charged to advertisers, according to business product manager for trust and safety at Google Shuman Ghosemajumder.

Until now, without data from Google, advertisers have had to resort to estimates from companies that provide anti-click-fraud services. But Google says such third parties have an interest in inflating the numbers so they can do more business.

"Estimates from third-parties (usually from consultants who have a financial incentive to make the problem seem very large) have been both inconsistent and greatly exaggerated due to their methodologies. Advertisers have always been able to compare their log data with their AdWords charges to calculate an estimate of the number of invalid clicks in their own account. This new tool will make estimating invalid click activity much easier," Ghosemajumder wrote in the AdWords blog.

Google detects and filters out the "vast majority" of invalid clicks, Ghosemajumder said, but would not give more specific numbers. Google has limited the data it provides so that those intent on committing fraud don't have sufficient information to circumvent Google's detection efforts.