Google remains to run ads that promote climate change denial despite solidifying their pledge not to do so.
In a recent report, the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) observed that Google has struggled to abide by its recent policy to stop running ads on content and publishers that promote climate change denial.
The new study identified 50 articles that contained false information about climate change, which still featured Google ads after Google announced the ads would be banned.
Earlier this year, Google announced a new policy banning advertising and monetizing content that contradicted the well-established scientific consensus on climate change. The policy was supposed to take effect on November 9 for Google advertisers, publishers, and YouTube creators.
Center for Countering Digital Hate's chief executive Imran Ahmed stated that Google's new policy, means they are acknowledging their huge role to partake in prioritizing the problem about climate change at hand, which is misinformation.
Moreover, the policy will aim to deny climate change deniers monetization--which is a clear move to make the issue a profitable business.
However, Google did not follow through.
"They have not followed through with real action," said Ahmed.
Consequently, during an email exchange with The Verge, Google communications and public affairs manager Michael Aciman said the company reviewed the shared content and made appropriate disciplinary steps.
Ads for most of the URLs have been taken down due to violations of the company's climate change policy.
CCDH previously published a report in November in which nearly 70 percent of all engagements with climate change denial content on Facebook can be traced to just 10 "fringe" publishers.
CCDH estimates that Google earned $1.7 million from ads on those websites in the last six months of this year. Five of these publishers, including Breitbart and The Western Journal, were again included in CCDH's list of climate denial content.
If recalled, Breitbart's article termed global warming a "hoax", then The Western Journal made an incorrect claim saying "whether the climate is changing--and whether it is caused by man--are questions not answered definitively."
Google's Pledge to Address Climate Change
Over the past few years, publishers and advertisers have made it clear to Google that they are concerned about climate change ads that promote inaccurate claims.
As a response, Google updated its policies concerning ads that tackle climate change deniers.
In the new policy, Google will not just prohibit its ads from being placed on content promoting climate change denial, it will also stop monetizing publications that will contradict scientific-based knowledge concerning the existence and impact of climate change.
Google made it clear that they will consider the context in which claims are made when reviewing content for compliance with this new policy, distinguishing between content that states a false claim as fact from content that reports on or discusses it.
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Written by Thea Felicity
