Verizon Communications and AT&T Boycott YouTube, Google Ads Due To “Offensive Videos”

Two major companies in the US have reportedly pulled out their ads from Google, YouTube over concerns that they might have been run next with extremist videos. CBS News said US wireless carriers Verizon Communications and AT&T are among the latest companies that suspended their digital advertising from the said platforms.

AT&T explained their decision to put a pause on their ads, saying, “We are deeply concerned that our ads may have appeared alongside YouTube content promoting terrorism and hate. Until Google can ensure this won’t happen again, we are removing our ads from Google’s non-search platforms.”

Johnson & Johnson and Enterprise also took part by halting their adverts on the site too, The Guardian said.  Pharmaceutical giant GSK, HSBC, the Royal Bank of Scotland and L'Oreal, have also pulled out as well, which could mean loss in the amount of hundreds of millions of dollars in ad revenue, RollingStone said.

A Google spokesperson has since responded to TechCrunch’s request for comment, and said about the latest boycott, “We don’t comment on individual customers but as announced, we’ve begun an extensive review of our advertising policies and have made a public commitment to put in place changes that give brands more control over where their ads appear. We’re also raising the bar for our ads policies to further safeguard our advertisers’ brands.”

The boycott became public thanks to a The Times article that exposes how the programmatic advertising tools of Google do not totally prevent ads from appearing together with videos by hate groups and terrorists.