What Congress Should Ask Google at Tuesday’s Judiciary Hearing
Google and Digital Platforms: A Crisis Years in the Making
Google CEO Sundar Pichai will go before the House Judiciary Committee on December 11 to answer questions about its business practices. Google has a lot to answer for. Over the last six years, DCA has shown how illicit and/or illegal behavior is widespread and monetized across the company’s platforms.
Behaviors including:
- Terrorist/extremist content
- Opioids and other pharmaceuticals made available without a prescription
- Malware spyware, and videos of children caught on webcams controlled by threat actors
- Stolen credit cards and other personally identifiable information
Questions for Google
- Why does Google allow advertisements purchased by legitimate businesses, including some of the world’s most well-known brands, to run next to videos and posts pushing illegal and/or illicit content?
- How much money does Google make on ads that show up next to videos promoting illegal and/or illicit behavior?
- Google has created teams to 1) defend its app store, Google Play, from malicious actors selling bad apps, 2) to stop those promoting payday loans, and 3) to prevent the spread of child pornography. Why doesn’t Google apply the same level of priority to all illegal activity on its platforms?
- If Google’s algorithm is sophisticated enough to place a relevant ad next to illegal and/or illicit content (for example an ad for an immigration lawyer next to a video promoting fake passports), why doesn’t it use the same tools to identify illegal and/or illicit content and remove it
Full Photo Galleries
Terrorist Content: https://www.digitalcitizensalliance.org/main/jihad-album
Malware: https://www.digitalcitizensalliance.org/main/youtube-malware/
Stolen Credit Cards: https://www.digitalcitizensalliance.org/main/youtube-credit-card-banking-hacking-stealing
Full Reports
Terrorism: https://www.digitalcitizensalliance.org/clientuploads/directory/Reports/DigitalCitizens_FoolMeOnceFinal.pdf
Malware: https://www.digitalcitizensalliance.org/clientuploads/directory/Reports/selling-slavery.pdf
Stolen Credit Cards: https://www.digitalcitizensalliance.org/clientuploads/directory/Reports/breachtrust.pdf
Rx Drugs: https://www.digitalcitizensalliance.org/clientuploads/directory/Reports/dca_googlereport.pdf