Tech giants including Google and Amazon will unwittingly direct some $25 million to websites spreading Covid-19 misinformation this year through their digital advertising platforms
, aHere’s how it breaks down: Google will funnel the bulk of the millions - around $19.2 million— to misinformation sites, while Amazon will provide $1.7 million in advertising revenue to the sites, the GDI estimates.
Google provides $3 out of every $4 in ad revenue earned by misinformation sites, according to the GDI data.The research shows ads from organizations including Merck, Loreal, Canon and the British Medical Association, a trade union for U.K. doctors, appeared on pages featuring conspiracy theory content.
“Based on our findings, ads for big brands have been found funding stories that tout debunked and dangerous cures, undercut government lock-down measures, equate track-and-trace apps with state surveillance, and traffic in theories that the Chinese government and the global elite should be blamed for the virus’ spread,” the GDI said.
The figures exclude advertising on disinformation on social media and video platforms, the GDI said, meaning the real numbers could be far higher.The study was based on the GDI’s analysis of 480 English language sites between January and June this year, whose content was dominated by coronavirus misinformation, and which also carried adverts. The GDI made conservative estimates, and warned that their figures are likely to be “the tip of the iceberg.
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