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alex
Developer
Joined: Jun 14, 2004
Age: 22
Posts: 6292
Location: DC Metro Area (No. VA)
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 Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:50 am Post subject: Google Displaying Offensive Ads for 'Autism' keyword |
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Google is displaying quite offensive (and misleading) ads when you search for the term "Autism". Here is just one example of the sponsored listings google displays for its adwords program. Notice that the last ad links to a site with the term "birth defects" in its domain:
Some of the ads are misleading as well.
Do you think it's Google's responsibility to police its adwords program to prevent advertisers from using derogatory language? How about advertisers them from running factually inaccurate ads? |
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Kalister1
Phoenix
Joined: Sep 09, 2007
Posts: 2882
Location: California
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| Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 11:17 am Post subject: Re: Google Displaying Offensive Ads for 'Autism' keyword |
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They paid for them. Hell if I care.
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CockneyRebel
Sid The Love Rat :O)
Joined: Jul 18, 2004
Age: 33
Posts: 20872
Location: Out in the evening, with me two best Rat Mates, somewhere in Canada :O)
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| Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 11:21 am Post subject: |
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I also find them offensive.
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Pepperfire
Velociraptor
Joined: Feb 11, 2008
Age: 42
Posts: 406
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| Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 11:44 am Post subject: |
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| CockneyRebel wrote: | | I also find them offensive. |
I find the Ikea ad offensive. You know, the one where the woman runs screaming out of the store "start the car, start the car" because she believes she got away with "stealing" her actual savings from the store. |
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iceb
Tarkalean hawk
Joined: Apr 27, 2007
Posts: 1326
Location: The Liberator flight deck
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| Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 11:50 am Post subject: |
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Advertising is by definition offensive, but if it pays the rent, what the hell.
I find that flash stuff that brings my machine to a screaming halt really offensive!
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Fayed
Sea Gull
Joined: Sep 25, 2007
Age: 21
Posts: 201
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| Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 12:29 pm Post subject: |
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If Google starts policing its ads they lose rev.
Google is providing a service and has not announced its stance on Autism (causes, etc) so they should be objective.
*playing devil's advocate*
I'm interested in what exactly about the ads shown is "offensive" or "misleading". Remember Google should be objective and as such should show as many sides of the debate as possible, not just the side that says "I'm autistic, embrace me."
The "Embrace Autism" ideology could be construed as offensive and misleading to someone on the other side of the aisle. Not everyone has the same perspective on autism. To someone who’s seen mainly LFA cases autism it can seem like a horrible debilitating condition. Is it offensive to want to cure that?
Just because one reader is on the EA side doesn't mean all that should be shown is the EA side. To do that is to censor it and in many cases censorship is a detriment.
To me this looks like one party of the debate wanting its ideals held above the rest of the people.
If a site pays Google (and Google accepts payment) for an ad, then Google has to post that ad.
*stops playing devil's advocate*
That being said, I think they could easily be construed as offensive and as such people with problems with them should talk with the ad's owners and leave Google out of it. Besides Google is a business, not some altruistic information spreading for-the-good-of-humanity fairy. Google's first focus is to make money, only when something infringes on that will you see any response. Don't like the birth defect ad? Talk to birthdefects.org.
DISCLAIMER: I do not mean to offend anyone with this post. I simply try to make a point. If you are offended, I'm am very sorry. This post should not be construed as a personal attack on anyone. |
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AngelUndercover
Deinonychus
Joined: Dec 03, 2006
Age: 22
Posts: 394
Location: somewhere else
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| Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 1:24 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't like them, but I don't think Google should ban them. |
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Pepperfire
Velociraptor
Joined: Feb 11, 2008
Age: 42
Posts: 406
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| Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 4:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Fayed wrote: | | DISCLAIMER: I do not mean to offend anyone with this post. I simply try to make a point. If you are offended, I'm am very sorry. This post should not be construed as a personal attack on anyone. |
I'm offended by the idea that you think I might be offended.  |
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sarahstilettos
Phoenix
Joined: Sep 08, 2007
Age: 22
Posts: 852
Location: UK
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| Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 4:14 pm Post subject: |
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| I mostly agree with Fayed. I don't know if the ads are so much offensive as not in alignment with your personal opinions. |
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Roxas_XIII
Shur'tugal (Dragon Rider)
Joined: Jan 09, 2007
Age: 17
Posts: 1362
Location: Somewhere over Alagaesia
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| Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:21 pm Post subject: |
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Some of them i find offensive, but I guess it's a necessary evil, since Google pays us to show them on our site. Cyberspatial real estate isn't free, especially when you're talking about something as big as WP. (Yes, people, WP is a big site. I mean, we have 17,170 members, and 356 of them are online right now.... and that's just for today!)
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Dracula
Velociraptor
Joined: Nov 23, 2007
Age: 19
Posts: 412
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| Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:56 am Post subject: |
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I see nothing offensive there.
- D |
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dean
Butterfly
Joined: Nov 05, 2005
Posts: 17
Location: south-east Virginia,USA
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| Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 8:08 am Post subject: |
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| To call autism a defect is offensive. People with autism ARE NOT DEFECTIVE, we/ they MAY have 'things' in life to deal with, but almost everyone thas something in life to deal with. Flat tires and broken bottles are defective, not people with autism! |
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alex
Developer
Joined: Jun 14, 2004
Age: 22
Posts: 6292
Location: DC Metro Area (No. VA)
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| Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 8:09 am Post subject: |
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| Fayed wrote: | If Google starts policing its ads they lose rev.
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Google already heavily polices their ads so they obviously see the need to control the quality. |
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olle
Snowy Owl
Joined: Mar 03, 2008
Posts: 134
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
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| Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 8:24 am Post subject: |
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I agree that many of these ads are offensive, and also misleading.
It's misleading with an ad that sells homeopathic treatment for Asperger's... 
Alex, i think you should consider talking to Google about the ads they display on WP dot net. Also, one doesn't have to rely on third party advertising programmes. Wouldn't it be possible to sell ad space directly to advertisers instead of using Google Adwords?
But i think it's more important that the content of WP is accurate, and tolerant, like it is now. So, the ads may be a pain, but WP is great in so many other ways so it outweighs the ads. Alex, thanks for creating such a great web site!  |
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Orwell
Outer Party Member
Joined: Aug 09, 2007
Age: 18
Posts: 3730
Location: Room 101
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| Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 9:16 am Post subject: |
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Google provides me with an extremely highly-valued service (namely the best online search engine available) at zero cost. They are a corporation, and they need to make a profit. So I have no real issue with them accepting money for advertisements if that helps them to continue offering their services for free. However, I also am pretty offended at the specific examples shown on this thread, as they clearly go over the line. Alex, you said Google already heavily polices their ads. Do you know where any information can b e found on their policies in this area? Or any examples of ads that they have censored?
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