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Report: Google Called to Remove Illegal Ads in the UK
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In recent years Google has faced a number of high-profile criticisms from European authorities, but it has always managed to ride out any negative effects. But a new report from the BBC indicates that the search giant may have a new European problem on its hands related to its bread and butter: advertising.
According to a report from the BBC's "5 live investigates" team, Google has been profiting from the promotion of illegal products on its search result pages.
The illegal products included fake ID cards, fake U.K. passports, cannabis, and resellers offering tickets to the Olympics (scheduled to be held in London starting in July). Aside from the obviously illegal nature of the other items, the matter of Olympics ticket resellers is a particularly sensitive topic in the U.K. right now. According to U.K. law, selling tickets to the Olympics without direct permission from the Olympic authorities is a criminal offense.
The report singled out one advertiser in particular operating under the name LiveOlympicTickets. When alerted by the BBC, Google reportedly removed the advertisements. Nevertheless, the investigative team says that when asked about the profits from the text advertisements, Google indicated that it would be retaining any of the money made.
London's Metropolitan Police apparently expects a lot more in the way of online ticketing scams in the coming months, and in response they've created Operation Podium. The initiative is designed to fight organized crime affecting the economy of the London Olympic games. In regards to Internet-specific activities, the task force states, "Podium's E-Crime team, working closely with the Met's Police Central E Crime Unit (PeCU), are making it harder for criminals to operate online. Through using specialist e-crime detectives they are investigating illegal online ticket sales, mass data theft, and fake websites offering non existent goods."
Google's last high-profile brush with this kind of unwanted advertiser attention came just last year in a dust-up over AdWords sales for online Canadian pharmacies. Although Google resolved the matter, it cost the company $500 million in fines.
This new BBC report claims U.K. police have been in contact with Google regarding this latest incident in an effort to ensure that ads promoting illegal services are removed. So far, in the wake of Google's swift response to the matter, there's no indication that any punitive action will be taken by U.K. authorities.
___Originally published on pcmag.com. Click here to read the original story.
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