Weekly New/Digital Media (55)

Head of Google Europe apologises over ads on extremist content

Summary: "Matt Brittin says company ‘needs to do more’ but declines to say whether it will actively seek out inappropriate material" Google’s European chief has publicly apologised after online adverts for major brands appeared next to extremist material, but declined to say whether the company would begin actively seeking out such content and taking action against it. Almost monotising hate itself. Causing many brands to withdraw from these adverts as not to be assossiated with such a thing. 

Key facts/ statistics:

• “I want to start by saying sorry to the brands affected by this. I take the issue very seriously and I apologise in the instances where that may have happened.”
• Brittin told an audience of advertising industry figures that the company would improve its ad placement system, which has seen ads attached to videos by extremists, including hate preachers and the former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.
• The ads help fund payments to the people who post the videos, with every 1,000 clicks worth about £6.
• “Of course we’re looking again at how we improve what we’re doing on enforcement. That’s a question of resources and technology and community,” he said.
• Cooper, who last week accused the company of “profiting from hatred” said she was not satisfied with Brittin’s response to the issue.
• They need to say whether they will be paying back any of that advertising revenue and to answer our questions on what more they are doing to root out extremism or illegal activity on YouTube because they are still failing to do enough to remove illegal or hate-filled content from YouTube.
• The government and several high-profile companies have suspended adverts, or are reviewing whether to do so, after it emerged that extremists including Duke were able to profit from adverts on Google’s network.
• Marks & Spencer became the latest company to pull advertising from Google on Monday, adding its name to a growing list that includes government departments, major advertising agencies and well-known companies. McDonald’s, the BBC, L’Oréal, HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds, the Guardian, Audi and Channel 4 are among the firms to suspend advertising.
• BT and Sky said they were reviewing their relationship with Google.
• While Brittin admitted that Google had work to do to mend fences with advertisers, he also pointed out that it handles a huge volume of content, including 400 hours of YouTube video uploaded every minute.

My opinion:
It seems that the sheer rapid increase in the size of new and digital media is hard to keep up with causing new issues to come to light everyday. This said, im pretty sure there is a massive profit insentive which is why companies like google delay comfronting such issues highlighting just how money driven these industries are and the negative impact it may have on society as a whole - and probably won't claim any responsibility/ do anything to correct these negative impacts.