Google wields a big sheriff's badge when it tells online snake-oil salesmen to peddle their wares elsewhere. June 18, 2013 10:12 AM PDT Turns out, this ad to check if your online pharmacy is "legit" is itself legit. (Credit: Google) Will those annoying online drug pitches ever finally go the way of pop-up ads? Probably not, but Google revealed on Tuesday some behind-the-scenes techniques it uses to decrease the visibility of rogue online pharmacies. "Rogue pharmacies continually adapt their online marketing practices, meaning this is an ongoing battle," wrote Google legal director Adam Barea in a blog post about how it combats them. Related stories: Startup helps find cheapest prescription drugs Report: Justice Dept. says Page knew about rogue drug ads More Net giants deal in shady drug ads Report: Google warned repeatedly about online drug ads Report: Google close to settling drug ad crackdown Google stringently scrutinizes online pharmacy ad buys, including using the third-party tool LegitScript to create a higher bar for pharmacies. Since 2010, only ads from accredited U.S.-based online pharmacies have been approved. The accreditation program, called VIPPS, includes fewer than 40 pharmacies. LegitScript, which bills itself as the "leading source of online pharmacy verification," says that illegal pharmacy and drug ads have decreased 99 percent on Google and Bing since VIPPS accreditation enforcement began. Google has other tools to help it block rogue pharmacies. It recently removed several videos from YouTube for promoting pharmaceuticals in violation of its guidelines; it has begun to look at tweaks to search box autocomplete results; and it has collaborated with other tech companies and the U.S. government. One thing that Google does only rarely, and usually when legally required to do so, is exclude rogue pharmacies from search results. "Filtering a website from search results won't remove it from the Web, or block other websites that link to that Web site," Barea said. If the Internet has become a less safe place for Cialis ads, that can only benefit everybody else.
Google wields a big sheriff's badge when it tells online snake-oil salesmen to peddle their wares elsewhere.
Turns out, this ad to check if your online pharmacy is "legit" is itself legit.
(Credit: Google)
Will those annoying online drug pitches ever finally go the way of pop-up ads? Probably not, but Google revealed on Tuesday some behind-the-scenes techniques it uses to decrease the visibility of rogue online pharmacies.
"Rogue pharmacies continually adapt their online marketing practices, meaning this is an ongoing battle," wrote Google legal director Adam Barea in a blog post about how it combats them.
Related stories:
- Startup helps find cheapest prescription drugs
- Report: Justice Dept. says Page knew about rogue drug ads
- More Net giants deal in shady drug ads
- Report: Google warned repeatedly about online drug ads
- Report: Google close to settling drug ad crackdown
Google stringently scrutinizes online pharmacy ad buys, including using the third-party tool LegitScript to create a higher bar for pharmacies. Since 2010, only ads from accredited U.S.-based online pharmacies have been approved. The accreditation program, called VIPPS, includes fewer than 40 pharmacies.
LegitScript, which bills itself as the "leading source of online pharmacy verification," says that illegal pharmacy and drug ads have decreased 99 percent on Google and Bing since VIPPS accreditation enforcement began.
Google has other tools to help it block rogue pharmacies. It recently removed several videos from YouTube for promoting pharmaceuticals in violation of its guidelines; it has begun to look at tweaks to search box autocomplete results; and it has collaborated with other tech companies and the U.S. government.
One thing that Google does only rarely, and usually when legally required to do so, is exclude rogue pharmacies from search results. "Filtering a website from search results won't remove it from the Web, or block other websites that link to that Web site," Barea said.
If the Internet has become a less safe place for Cialis ads, that can only benefit everybody else.
