Researchers with the Campaign for Accountability, a non-profit watchdog group, spent $35 to successfully purchase politically divisive advertisements while flagrantly posing as Russian trolls in order to test Google’s ad platform security.
According to Buzzfeed News, the group bought the ad space with Russian currency, using a Russian ZIP code and operating under the guise of the Internet Research Agency, the main Kremlin-linked troll farm that’s been the subject of many congressional hearings and featured in special counsel Robert Mueller’s indictments. Google approved the advertisements — which were indistinguishable from ads created by the infamous troll farm — without delay. The ads appeared on YouTube and several well known media outlets, according to Buzzfeed.
The “stunt,” as Google called it, came just days after the company promised users it had instated “robust systems” designed to recognize “influence operations launched by foreign governments.” In a statement to Buzzfeed on Tuesday, Google said it may now adjust it’s screening practices to combat “our U.S.-based competitors” who are “actively misrepresenting” themselves.
Read Buzzfeed’s entire article here.
the group bought the ad space with Russian currency, using a Russian ZIP code and operating under the guise of the Internet Research Agency, the main Kremlin-linked troll farm that’s been the subject of many congressional hearings.
Look, if you’re going to make a point, you have to at least give Google a chance to see that it is illigitamate. Quit being so sneaky and give them a clue for cryin’ out loud!
If only they had search and correlation technology to aid them in their quest to identify the bad guys. But there is just so much data to sift through. If they could come up with tech that could do that sort of thing they would have to come up with some cool sounding name for it because just calling it “big data” would sound lame.
In my family we have a saying:
“As long as the check clears…”
Um…welcome to captialism?
If you want this to be controlled, the invisible fisting hand ain’t gonna do it for you.
Sounds a bit tRUmp-esque. Does Google really think we are that stupid? Or are they just playing to the Buzzfeed crowd?