fake news
Websites circulating fake news were still using Google's online advertising service as of December 12, nearly one month after Google announced it would ban such sites from using its advertising platform as a revenue source.

Google Bans Websites Peddling Fake News From Using Its Advertising Service

Nov. 14: Google Bans "Websites That Peddle Fake News From Using Its Online Advertising Service."

According to The New York Times, on November 14, Google announced it would ban fake news websites from using its online advertising service in order to cut off their revenue sources. The ban was said to take effect "imminently":
Over the last week, two of the world's biggest internet companies have faced mounting criticism over how fake news on their sites may have influenced the presidential election's outcome.

On Monday, those companies responded by making it clear that they would not tolerate such misinformation by taking pointed aim at fake news sites' revenue sources.

Google kicked off the action on Monday afternoon when the Silicon Valley search giant said it would ban websites that peddle fake news from using its online advertising service.

[...]

Google's decision on Monday relates to the Google AdSense system that independent web publishers use to display advertising on their sites, generating revenue when ads are seen or clicked on. The advertisers pay Google, and Google pays a portion of those proceeds to the publishers. More than two million publishers use Google's advertising network.

For some time, Google has had policies in place prohibiting misleading advertisements from its system, including promotions for counterfeit goods and weight-loss scams. Google's new policy, which it said would go into effect "imminently," will extend its ban on misrepresentative content to the websites its advertisements run on.

"Moving forward, we will restrict ad serving on pages that misrepresent, misstate or conceal information about the publisher, the publisher's content or the primary purpose of the web property," [Google spokesperson Andrea] Faville said. [The New York Times, 11/14/16]
Google AdSense "Prohibited Content" Policies Now Specifically Single Out "Deceptively Presenting Fake News Articles As Real."

Google's support page explaining its official policies about what types of pages cannot host Google AdSense advertising further explains the new policy banning "misrepresentative content" (original emphasis):
Users don't want to be misled by the content they engage with online. For this reason, Google ads may not be placed on pages that misrepresent, misstate, or conceal information about you, your content or the primary purpose of your web property.
[...]
Not acceptable
  • Enticing users to engage with content under false or unclear pretenses (e.g. deceptively presenting fake news articles as real)
  • "Phishing" for users' information
  • Promotion of content, products, or services using false, dishonest, or deceptive claims (e.g. "Get Rich Quick" schemes)
  • Impersonating Google products
  • Falsely implying having an affiliation with, or endorsement by, another individual, organization, product, or service [Google Support, AdSense Help, accessed 12/13/16]
Google AdSense Ads Are Marked By A Triangular AdChoices Icon That Hyperlinks To An "About Google Ads" Page

In 2011, Google Began Marking Placed Ads With The Industry-Wide Blue Triangle Symbol And The Words "AdChoices."

Beginning in 2011, Google announced that its placed advertisements would be marked with a blue triangle icon and the words "AdChoices," in compliance with a newly developed online advertising industry decision. Google's announcement explained that, when users clicked on the "AdChoices" icon for an ad sponsored by Google, they would be directed to more information from Google's website about the specific ads they were shown. [Google Blog, 3/21/11; accessed 12/12/16]

Websites Peddling Fake News Are Still Using Google's Advertising Services

Wall Street Journal: "Many Google-Placed Ads, Including Those For Big Brands, Continue To Appear On" Sites With "'Deceptive Or Misrepresentative' Content."

The Wall Street Journal reported on December 8, nearly one month after Google announced initiatives to block websites with "'deceptive or misrepresentative' content" from using its ad service, "enforcement appears spotty." The Journal explained that "many Google-placed ads ... continue to appear on the sites, even including ads for Google's new Pixel smartphones." Google responded that the company was still "in the process of implementing the new policy":
Google, the biggest player in digital advertising, said it would stop placing ads on sites with "deceptive or misrepresentative" content. But so far, enforcement appears spotty: Many Google-placed ads, including those for big brands, continue to appear on the sites, even including ads for Google's new Pixel smartphones.

In a statement, Google said, "We're in the process of implementing the new policy and these early stages have demanded increased human review." [The Wall Street Journal, 12/8/16]
Media Matters Found Google-Hosted Ads On At Least 24 Websites That Are Known To Push Fake News Stories.

Media Matters found advertisements placed by Google on at least 24 websites that have a track record for pushing fake news stories -- stories with fabricated information packaged to appear as a legitimate news story. The sites listed below all featured ads marked by the "AdChoices" icon that hyperlinked the user to Google's information page about its advertising services. All screenshots were taken on December 12. See full article for documentation.