I have not yet seen mention of these developing stories here, but yesterday’s (UK) Times and today’s The Sunday Times have run articles about Google’s failure “to remove virulent antisemitic content from its YouTube video platform in an apparent breach of its own guidelines and the law.” Companies from McDonald’s to the BBC are beginning to withdraw ads from Google after learning that advertisements for their products are being placed alongside videos used by violent extremist groups to disseminate false narratives and recruit members, “rape apologists”, and other hate groups.
HSBC, Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland acted over fears that chunks of their advertising budgets have inadvertently ended up in the pockets of banned hate preachers and anti-semites. The lenders join a growing list of big advertisers who have withdrawn marketing from the search engine and its YouTube video platform. These include McDonald’s, L’Oréal, Audi and the BBC.
Havas, one of the world’s biggest advertising agencies, pulled hundreds of UK clients out of Google’s advertising network yesterday after revelations in The Times that taxpayers and big brands were unwittingly funding extremists through adverts. Dozens of other brands have also withdrawn their business.
The full scale of Google’s failure to tackle hate speech can be revealed today, with fresh analysis showing that more than 200 antisemitic videos are hosted on YouTube.
I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about The Times as a Murdoch colony, and I have been mightily annoyed by some increasingly provocative headlines and flimsy reporting more recently. But they have done some fine investigative work over the years and I think these stories are important. Ethical debates will continue to rage about free speech, internet freedoms and more, but it is critical that voicing hate is not rewarded.
www.thetimes.co.uk/…
www.thetimes.co.uk/...
