Google maintains that clearly labeling such advertisements as “sponsored” is sufficient to prevent voters from being misled.
According to an Axios report, US Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign has been using Google search advertisements that link to genuine news articles from reputable sources, but with altered headlines and descriptions designed to portray the Democratic presidential candidate in a more favorable light.
The Harris campaign has been running these ads linking to stories by “nearly a dozen” news outlets, including CNN, AP, CBS, NPR, The Guardian, USA Today, and others since at least August 3, Axios revealed on Tuesday.
These ads closely mimic real news results, potentially misleading users. While Axios recognized that such practices are “common,” it acknowledged that according to Google’s ad transparency center, Harris’ rival Donald Trump is not running these types of misleading ads.
Several news outlets reportedly claimed they were unaware their brands were being used in this way, according to Axios. A spokesperson for The Guardian indicated the company would be “reaching out to Google for more information about this practice.”
Google has maintained that this practice does not violate its rules, arguing that since the ads are labeled as “sponsored,” they are “easily distinguishable” from legitimate search results.
However, the tech giant admitted that a supposed “technical glitch” in Google’s Ad Library caused some of the ads to “appear” to lack the necessary disclosures, Axios reported. A Google spokesperson promised to investigate the glitch, emphasizing that the company has for years “provided additional levels of transparency for election ads specifically.”