Facebook and Google still host too many scam ads online

Few reports from consumers allow misleading ads to remain published on the platforms of the two companies, denounces a British non-profit organization

(photo: Aytug Can Sencar / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images) Google and Facebook failed to remove several online scam ads even after fraud victims report them. This is what emerges from a Which? , a non-profit organization that works in the United Kingdom to protect consumers. According to the analysis, Google failed to remove 34% of the reported scam ads, while Facebook failed with 26%. However, both platforms have publicly stated that they have removed all fraudulent ads that, by regulation, are prohibited on their platforms.

Wired some time ago spotted a series of scam ads on Facebook that apparently involved numerous VIPs with the intent to convince users to invest in cryptocurrencies. The VIPs were unwittingly involved in the scam that used their image without consent to attract potential victims.

This is just one of the scams that have been repeatedly reported to the two giants of the web but which have not been completely eradicated from their platforms.

According to BBC reports, Which? he found that only 15% of his interviewees, when they fell victim to a scam, had reported it to their respective portals. Of these, 27% had stumbled upon it while browsing on Facebook and 19% on Google. In all this emerges the worrying fact that 43% of victims have never reported the scam to technology companies.

So although these scams are still identifiable on the Facebook and Google portals, the two giants are not the only ones entirely responsible for this lack. In fact their moderation systems are mainly based on the reporting system by the users and if this is not used the scam has more chances of going unnoticed.

According to Which? the poor reporting and the ease with which advertisers can run new fraudulent ads - even after the original ad has been removed - must prompt platforms to take a more proactive approach to prevent misleading content from reaching consumers.


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