Google faces controversy over advertising scandal

Google has been accused of ‘profiting from hatred‘, as advertisements appear on YouTube videos that show extremist content. These advertisements indirectly fund those who post the videos with about $7,5 dollar for every 1,000 clicks, which could have benefitted extremists with an approximated $318,000. A number of large companies, advertising firms, and government departments have pulled their adverts from Google and YouTube or are considering to do so, including Sky, Vodafone, McDonalds, L’Oréal, and many others. Google’s European chief, Matt Brittin, has apologised to its partners and advertisers, and reaffirmed that Google takes its responsibility ‘very seriously‘. He added that Google will ‘raise the bar’ and is looking at ways to give advertisers more control to manage where their adverts appear.