Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s Google joined YouTube to remove several ads of Donald Trump because of ad policy violations. Susan Wojcicki, Chief Executive Officer of YouTube, confirmed the removal of Trump ads from its channel in the past few months because the ads are not approved to run.
Over 300 ads of Trump pulled out
According to tech companies’ review of the advertising, around 300 ads of Trump are removed from these two platforms in the summer. In recent periods, the social media platforms and search giants are facing scrutiny from the lawmakers over the political ads. Bowing to the pressure, Twitter announced the banning of political ads in October 2019.
The 60 Minutes quizzes Susan
The 60 Minutes quizzed Susan about a fake political ad of Trump that falsely shows Joe Bidden. Bidden is the prospective presidential democrat and former vice president. In the fake ad, he promised military support to Ukraine in return for removing the investigating prosecutor, who leads an investigation into a company lead by Hunter, his son.
Facebook denies the request of Bidden
Facebook has turned down the request of the Bidden Campaign early this year to remove the ad because of its reliance on supporting freedom of speech. CEO of YouTube said this ad also ran on its channel but not violated its policies. When the 60 Minutes asked about that ad, Susan responded, saying every politician accuses their opponents. She further said the manipulation of such content could mislead audiences.
Google’s YouTube pays fine of $170 million
New York state and FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has slapped a fine of $170 million on YouTube for collecting the personal data of children without seeking the permission of their parents.
Google will pay $134 million for allegations of abusing child personal data collection and another $34 million on similar grounds. This amount is very small when compared to a large fine of $5 billion imposed by FTC on Facebook for violating privacy this year.
According to federal law, the companies need to seek the permission of their parents before collecting personal data of children aged below 13 years. FTC ordered an investigation into Google’s practice of collecting personal data and how it monetizes such data.
