Google Bans Ads on Coronavirus Conspiracy Theory Content

Google already bars ads with harmful content like "miracle" health cures.

By Reuters | Updated: 18 July 2020 11:00 IST

Google Bans Ads on Coronavirus Conspiracy Theory Content

Google looks to prohibit ads that promote 'dagnerous conent' like conspiracy theories

Highlights

Several conspiracy theories are being promoted as ads on Google
These include the virus being a hoax or it was created as a bioweapon
Google already bars ads with harmful content like "miracle" health cures

Alphabet's Google said on Friday it would prohibit websites and apps that use its advertising technology from running ads on "dangerous content" that goes against scientific consensus during the coronavirus pandemic. The world's largest search engine updated its policy as the health crisis has continued to rage throughout the United States, and digital advertising giants like Google and Facebook have faced calls to do more to clamp down on misinformation.

Content not allowed to make money from ads include debunked conspiracy theories, such as the notion that the novel coronavirus was created in a Chinese lab as a bioweapon, that it was created by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, or that the virus is a hoax, Google said in a statement.

Google already bars ads with harmful content like "miracle" health cures or which promote the anti-vaccination movement. It also prevents ads from running on publisher content that encourages those topics.

Samsung Wins Patent for a Tri-Fold Smartphone With Specialised Barrier Layer for Improved Durability

Google's new policy will also bar advertisers from creating their own ads that promote coronavirus conspiracy theories.

Google allows only certain institutions to run ads about the coronavirus pandemic, including government organizations and healthcare providers, to prevent activities like price-gouging on medical supplies.

© Thomson Reuters 2020

Poco M2 Pro: Did we really need a Redmi Note 9 Pro clone? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.