Google Releases New AdWords Policies
Google, as expected, finally released its new ad guidelines today. Wisely, they now have a public document that they can point to when not allowing an ad. The expanded guidelines make clear that the following types of ads are out:

• How to pass drug tests
• Beer or hard alcohol
• Promoting violence against any group, ethnicity, organization, or person, except politicians
• Spam products
• Cable descramblers
• Sites that use dialers
• Drugs
• Fake IDs
• Fireworks
• Gambling
• Hacking & Cracking
• "Miracle Cures"
• Mod chips
• Prescription drugs
• Prostitution
• Radar jammers
• Child or non-consensual pornography
• Soliciting funds
• Tobacco
• Weapons

Obviously, Google is under no obligation to ban nearly half the things on this list. Rather, this is a function of Sergey and Larry's "Don't Be Evil" slogan. Google does not want to let harmful products advertise, even if they are perfectly legal. I can understand why they would do that, but its pretty unnecessary, and not very liberal. It also devalues the search engine, since Google Ads are actually a plus, and if we can't search for Smirnoff and find ads for places to buy it, that may actually make Google less useful. Still, it's their right, and I can agree with it from a moral point of view.
(via Search Engine Watch Blog)

- posted by Nathan Weinberg @ 11/04/2004 01:18:00 PM