Alphabet, a company owned by Google (GOOGL.O), stated on Wednesday that it will not help websites, apps, or YouTube channels sell ads alongside content that exploits, rejects, or condones the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Ads cannot appear next to information that incites violence or ignores catastrophic occurrences, according to Google, whose advertising software assists publishers in generating cash. It is applying such policies to the fight in a wide sense.
Google spokesperson Michael Aciman stated, “We can confirm that we’re taking further steps to clarify, and in some cases enhance, our monetization principles as they apply to the war in Ukraine.”
Ads will not appear alongside, for example, “claims that indicate victims are responsible for their own tragedy or comparable examples of victim blaming, such as assertions that Ukraine is committing genocide or purposefully assaulting its own populace,” according to a Google.
Senior Russian officials claim that the fighting in Ukraine, which they describe as a “special operation” to demilitarise the country, has been misreported by Western media.
Russia’s communications regulator has disabled Google’s aggregation service Google News, according to the Interfax news agency, accusing it of giving access to what Russia terms bogus content concerning the military operation in Ukraine.
Many major Western advertising and social media platforms have announced new content and payment limitations in response to the dispute, notably the European Union’s decision to block Russian state media RT and Sputnik.
Google announced earlier this month that it would no longer sell any internet ads in Russia.
