Facebook and Google accused of not taking down scam ads
British consumer organization ‘Which?’ says Facebook and Google have failed to take action against scam advertising and that many ads were left online even after being reported. 34% of people who reported an advert to Google said the ad was not taken down, with 26% of Facebook users saying the same.
‘Which?’ said the companies’ current reactive approach was not working and called on the Government to include online scams within the scope of its upcoming Online Safety Bill. Both Facebook and Google say they take down scam ads when being informed about them.
‘Which?’ said a new approach is needed and that online platforms should have a legal responsibility for preventing fake and fraudulent adverts from appearing on their sites, rather than relying on reacting to fake ads once they had caused harm.
“Our latest research has exposed significant flaws with the reactive approach taken by tech giants including Google and Facebook in response to the reporting of fraudulent content – leaving victims worryingly exposed to scams”.
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