AP: Google bans environmental group's ads
Yahoo News: Google Stifles Anti-Pollution Message; Information Portal Claims to Bolster Freedom of Expression While Yanking Environmental Group's Save the Ocean
A non-profit group paid search keyword campaign was pulled down by Google for being critical of another advertiser. The Oceana group, critical of cruise ship companies that typically fail to properly treat sewage before dumping it into the sea, did not include a specific mention of the Royal Caribbean company by name in its ads, but Google cited criticism of that company for its rationale for pulling down the links. Clicking on the ads led visitors to a site that did mention the Royal Caribbean company.
The Oceana press release decrying the "censorship" is shrill enough to just about make PR Newswire's subsequent shunning of the release seem reasonable. But the issues does bring up tough questions about just how invasive a media vendor's advertising guidelines can be before it runs afoul of competitive advertising, or even creates more liabilities for the vendor. One solution might be to let the searchers decide if an ad is relevant or just inflammatory. Searchers ignoring inflammatory ads puts those links in their most appropriate position.
