Google Changes Ad Policies Amid Brand Backlash -- Update
March 21 2017 - 11:10AM
Dow Jones News
By Jack Nicas
Google announced initial steps to strengthen its ad policies and
enforcement in response to an advertiser backlash over the tech
giant frequently displaying ads next to inappropriate content such
as fabricated news stories or terrorist videos.
Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., said in a blog post Tuesday
that it would pull more advertising from controversial content,
give advertisers more control and visibility over where their ads
appear, and employ more people and technology to enforce its ad
policies.
"We know advertisers don't want their ads next to content that
doesn't align with their values," Google Chief Business Officer
Philipp Schindler said in the post. "So starting today, we're
taking a tougher stance on hateful, offensive and derogatory
content."
Many major advertisers are angry with Google, and some have even
reduced spending with the company, after a series of news reports
revealed Google regularly served their ads on controversial
websites or YouTube videos, including some made by supporters of
terrorist groups such as Islamic State and a violent pro-Nazi
group.
Google serves ads on more than 2 million websites and millions
more YouTube videos that are created by outside users or companies.
Google for months had pointed to its existing controls for
advertisers and its ad policies that prohibit certain types of
content as guards against ads appearing on controversial sites and
videos.
But a wave of pressure from advertisers and government officials
in the U.K. last week forced the company to make changes. Google
said on Friday and again on Monday that it planned changes, and on
Tuesday Mr. Schindler, the most senior Google executive to publicly
address the issue, laid out its initial plans.
As part of the planned changes, Google said it would remove more
ads "from content that is attacking or harassing people based on
their race, religion, gender or similar categories." The company
said it would only place ads on the YouTube videos of "legitimate
creators" and pull ads from the videos of those who "impersonate
other channels or violate our community guidelines." Google also is
reviewing its policies to determine whether more YouTube videos
should be removed entirely from the site.
Google is changing the default settings for ads to limit them to
more mainstream sites and videos, requiring brands to opt in to
advertising on broader -- and sometimes edgier -- types of content
such as such as videos peddling extremist views, conspiracy
theories or misinformation. Google said it would simplify how
advertisers control where their ads appear, including giving
advertisers the ability to blacklist specific sites or YouTube
videos.
Google said it would give advertisers more transparency on where
their ads appear, though Mr. Schindler's post only specifically
mentioned the expansion to all advertisers of an existing tool that
tells brands every YouTube video on which their ads ran. Google
said it also plans to hire "significant numbers" of people and
develop new technology "to increase our capacity to review
questionable content." And the company plans to make it easier for
advertisers to flag issues, with the goal of resolving problem
cases "in less than a few hours."
Write to Jack Nicas at jack.nicas@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 21, 2017 10:55 ET (14:55 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2024 to May 2024
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG)
Historical Stock Chart
From May 2023 to May 2024