Google earned $10m from ads misdirecting abortion seekers to ‘pregnancy crisis centers’
GuardianJun 07, 2023
Report: Misleading Abortion Ads Made Google $10M
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The Facts
According to a report released by the non-profit investigative watchdog group Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) Thursday, Google is allegedly making millions of dollars off ads from groups seeking to steer those seeking abortions to crisis pregnancy centers that don’t provide abortion services.
The report claims that deceptive ads — which targeted 15K Google searches related to abortion, including the abortion pill, abortion clinic, and Planned Parenthood – brought in $10.2M for the tech firm between March 1, 2021 and February 28, 2023.
The Spin
Narrative A
Google is violating the trust of its users at a crucial time for those seeking accurate information on abortion. Instead of closing the gaps in its service terms and preventing frivolous ads from deceiving users, the search engine has become a leading referral service for fake health clinics.
Narrative B
The so-called fake clinics in the CCDH’s report adhered to the company’s policy, which mandates advertisers targeting abortion-related searches get certified before they run ads. This study is flawed and biased — Google does its best to prevent deceptive ads from misleading users.