Google has established itself as the arbiter of “truth” in the digital age. The company controls the flow of information and can amplify or hide stories at its whim. Its leaders gave themselves godlike power to shape human opinion. Therefore, changing the rules about what information can be censored in a “sensitive event” scenario is worth careful consideration.
If you've ever advertised on Google, you may have received an email yesterday like this:
Dear Advertiser
In February 2024, Google will Inappropriate Content Policy To clarify the definition of sensitive events.
A “sensitive event” poses a significant risk to Google's ability to provide high-quality, relevant information and truth, and reduce insensitive or exploitative content in prominent monetized features. An unexpected event or development. During sensitive events, we may take various steps to address these risks.
Examples of sensitive events include civil emergencies, natural disasters, public health emergencies, terrorism and related activities, conflicts, or acts of significant social, cultural, or political violence. Contains events that give rise to
Examples (not all) of what is prohibited:•Products or services that exploit, dismiss, or condone sensitive events, including price gouging or artificial gouging that prohibits/restricts access to critical supplies.Selling products or services that may be insufficient for demand during sensitive events
• Try to use keywords related to sensitive events to further increase traffic
•Asserting that victims of sensitive events are responsible for their own tragedies and similar victim-blaming. They argue that victims of sensitive incidents are not entitled to relief or assistance.Claims that victims in particular countries are responsible for or deserve the global public health crisis
What does this mean? Google, understandably, doesn't want to sell ads about certain things. If you read Google carefully, Inappropriate Content Policyyou'll see a long list of things advertisers tend to shy away from: animal abuse, derogatory content, sexually explicit content, and the oddly specific “hacked political material.”
Similarly, Google doesn't want to be seen as profiting from a tragedy, so the Sensitive Events rule makes a lot of sense, at least on its face.
As far as I know, our policies regarding sensitive events haven't changed much since 2021. April 2019was limited to “content that exploits or could be deemed to lack reasonable consideration of natural disasters, conflict, death, or other tragic events.”
in September 2020, this policy has been expanded in response to COVID-19. “Natural disasters, conflicts, death, public health emergency, or other tragic events. ”
by October 2021it had expanded to two full bullet points.
Advertisements that may profit from or exploit sensitive events with significant social, cultural, or political implications. civil emergencynatural disasters, public health emergencies; Terrorism and related activities, conflicts, or acts of mass violence;
Advertisements that claim victims of sensitive events are responsible for their own tragedies and similar victim-blaming.Advertisements that claim that victims of sensitive events do not deserve relief or support.
that is Policies that currently exist.
So what actually changes in February? On the surface, nothing seems to have changed, but let's take a closer look.
Under current policy, Google does not provide a “dictionary definition” of what is considered a sensitive event. Instead, define sensitive events by what is specifically prohibited.
Under the new policy, Google is giving itself broader freedom to interpret certain events more broadly and to respond to those events.
A “sensitive event” poses a significant risk to Google's ability to provide high-quality, relevant information and truth, and reduce insensitive or exploitative content in prominent monetized features. An unexpected event or development. During sensitive events, we may take various steps to address these risks.
Next, we will use the old definition as an example of what constitutes a sensitive event.
Examples of sensitive events include civil emergencies, natural disasters, public health emergencies, terrorism and related activities, conflicts, or acts of significant social, cultural, or political violence. Contains events that give rise to
Can you see the difference? Under current regulations, advertising that exploits natural disasters is specifically prohibited. Under the new rules, advertisements that exploit natural disasters are just advertisements. example What is prohibited, and what is actually prohibited, is subject to Google's own interpretation.
Specifically, “unanticipated events or developments that pose a material risk to our ability to provide high-quality, relevant information and truth…”
In other words, Google Insensitive or exploitative content in Prominent and monetized featuresContent that does not match Google's definition of “ground truth” will be displayed as ” “.
What do we get from this seemingly small rule change? My reading is that Google foresees the unknown and wants to have the ability to restrict the flow of information.
In layman's terms, Google doesn't know exactly what will happen, but it could be something Google's lawyers haven't considered before, and Google can limit the information presented about the event. I'm thinking of doing that.
Google's leaders have given themselves the power to censor any event for virtually any reason. This is exactly why Blaze Media decided to move to a subscriber model. We cannot allow Google to use the power of its platform to dictate what stories can and cannot be covered.
