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Google asked to explain why it sells ads on YouTube videos “promoting illegal acts”

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Two Attorneys General have written to Google to ask why it profits from advertising on YouTube videos which “depict or even promote dangerous or illegal activities.”

The letter follows the publication of a report by the Digital Citizens Alliance entitled Google, YouTube and Evildoers: Too Close for Comfort, presented to the National Association of Attorneys General last month. DCA Executive Director Tom Galvin commented then:

Google has allowed thousands of videos to exist on YouTube that offer drugs, prostitution, forged passports, counterfeits and content theft. Worse, they have profited from them by running ads in conjunction with these videos.  Hopefully, the attorneys general will be able to get answers others have failed to get.  Namely why such an important, otherwise great company is putting profit over the safety of Internet users. When Google finally takes steps to ensure these dangerous videos are gone for good from YouTube, the Internet will be a safer place.

Given fierce rivalry between Microsoft and Google, however, it pays to be a little circumspect in giving too much weight to organisations whose sources of funding are not clearly stated. We’ll await Google’s response with interest.

The vast majority of Google’s revenue comes from ad sales, with Google leading the market in the sale of mobile ads in particular.

Millions of Google search page views will soon promote Google services under revamped trial design

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Google launched a revamped homepage, but it is still in the trial phase and only a limited number of users have access to the new design. Meanwhile, some experts and lawmakers are claiming Google’s recent face lift intends to promote more of the company’s businesses without cluttering the homepage.

The website’s redesign has undergone various changes since its initial debut over a month ago. The current version omits the black menu bar that runs horizontal along the top of the website, and it is now replaced by a gray Google logo. Upon clicking the new graphic, seven services under the search engine appear with an option to view 13 more services.

The core seven services in the trial design are Google Plus, Search, Images, Maps, YouTube, News, Gmail and Documents. The “More” tab below the vertical menu reveals options for Calendar, Translator, Mobile, Books, Music, Offers, Wallet, Shopping, Blogger, Reader, Finance, Photos, and Videos.

Google users can also change the background image of their homepage with the trial design, and they can access iGoogle or their Google Plus notification center and Settings options from the main search page.


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