DIGITAL LIFE

Most fake news sites are financed via Google Ads, says survey

Most of the sites that spread fake news, including Covid-19, are funded by the Google Ads ad platform, according to the Oxford Internet Institute study "Follow the Money: How the Online Advertising Ecosystem Funds Covid-19 Junk News and Disinformation "(follow the money: how the digital advertising ecosystem funds disinformation and junk news about Covid-19).
According to the study, 61% of disinformation and junk news sites (news that is deliberately distorted, lying or incorrect) receive advertisements through the Google Ads platform, compared to 59% of professional journalism sites.
"Other platforms, under pressure from public opinion, have taken steps to prevent this, but our study shows that 61% of junk news sources use Google Ads. Failing to offer these services could have a huge impact on the financial viability of disinformation sites. , and this is something to be explored, "the study's lead author, Emily Taylor, an associate researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute, said in the report.
According to the study, many of the websites analyzed have already been pointed out by researchers and fact-checkers as disseminators of conspiracy theories and lies, including in relation to Covid-19. "Even so, these sites continue to generate advertising revenue. Therefore, large ad platforms, such as Google and Amazon, contribute to the financial viability and success of junk news and misinformation sites," says the study.
In addition, professional journalism sites are less efficient when using SEO (Search Engine Optimization), tools that make them more attractive to search engines: they increase the chances of appearing at the top of searches and, consequently, increase the number of accesses. This, in turn, contributes to advertising revenue.
According to the OII study, websites that systematically publish false or distorted news, including those related to Covid-19, present efficient SEO strategies to highlight their content in search engines.
"The main sites of misinformation reach high SEO factors (they get good visibility in search engines) and they manage search engine optimization a little better than professional journalism sites."
Among the professional journalism sites analyzed are Reuters, BBC, Guardian, Bloomberg, WSJ and Spiegel. They are among those appointed as disseminators of disinformation alternet.org, infowars.com, Breitbart.com and SputnikNews.Com.
"Disinformation sites show a high level of sophistication in the use of search engine optimization - they seek to take advantage of Google's search algorithm to gain more prominence in search results. They are professional operations, to increase the reach of content of them and advertising revenue; sites that appear prominently in searches have an increase in traffic, and that traffic can be monetized through advertising sales, "says Taylor.
"On the one hand, Google is not responsible for the way websites - including junk news sites - try to optimize their performance on search engines. But Google, in response to scandals involving misinformation and interference in elections, had said it was using artificial intelligence and changing its search algorithms to reduce the prominence of misinformation sites. Our research suggests that these measures have had a limited impact on the reach of junk news. "
The survey says that while search engines and ad platforms have also been criticized for their role in promoting disinformation, they have been much less questioned than social media.

Mundophone