The Washington Outsider

Morals and Ethics of Google's Adsense policies

6/13/2012

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Google is an amazing company that produces extraordinary products and services that its users can use at little to no cost.  It also aims to be a moral company, not just an ethical company, with the morally binding motto “don’t be evil.”  This is why Google is one of the most profitable, most influential companies in the world while it continues to expand at a more than impressive rate with an increasingly diversified line of products and services.  Not only does Google have an annual revenue stream greater than the GDPs of somewhere around half of all the world’s nations, its products and services have been so successful that web developers are essentially redesigning the internet around Google.  This means Google’s policies and actions hold greater weight in global affairs than most governments. 

Google failing to fully recognize this influence is like saying the policies and actions of the United States, Russia, and China do not have an overwhelming impact on most other countries.  A company like Google, which has more economic and soft power with far greater direct influence over individual behavior than most nation-states, becomes unethical and immoral when it starts to address its interests without considering the interests of others, especially the little guy.  When companies like Google do not adequately address concerns about their conduct, issues like net neutrality and corporate morality, or even ethics, become little more than excuses to disarm critics and governments from regulating growing monopolistic conglomerates like Google.  If Google fails to correct its blind pursuit of its own interests without, at least, openly recognizing the interests of the non-affluent, undervalues its influence, seeks only to discredit/silence its critics, and/or fails to institute its moral objectives as an integral business function, the result will be an extremely dangerous future-Google.  Considering Google’s thorough saturation of the internet and the mounting cases of legal action against Google, this is a very real possibility. 

Although I enjoy Google’s products greatly with few complaints, I have experienced the brute, merciless power of Google first hand.  The experience was quite unsettling.  In the wake of the 2008/2009 Great Recession, which was caused by business leaders who manipulated an entire industry to service their own interests without regard to the interests of the non-affluent many, thus doing great evil against the many, the Occupy movements, which originally targeted the harmful disregard on the behalf of the affluent for the interests of the many, and the ongoing Arab Spring uprisings, which the inspiring actions of Google executive Wael Ghonim helped make successful, Google should be far more aware of the potential harm it can cause the global economy and society, thus a morally motivated Google should move to correct any potential moral and ethical issues.  With the return of Larry Page as CEO and a renewed pledge to meet its moral obligations, I felt Google would begin addressing outstanding issues in a more responsive matter, not circumventing them.  To date, the issue I had with Google’s heavy handed policy has not been addressed. 

A few years ago, I created three webpages within a journalist community website before I eventually signed up to use Google’s Adsense program.  Almost two years ago, my account was suspended for “invalid activity.”  When I tried to work with Google to address their concerns, my multiple appeals resulted in seemingly automated denials, near precisely one week after they were submitted.  Trying to contact someone at Google, I found a heavy handed, unresponsive corporation that left me wondering if anyone was listening.  To be clear, what Google did was bar me from an essential source of revenue for a lifetime.  With the ever expanding pervasiveness of Google Adsense and ad revenue a key part of the “new economy,” which is based on intellectual property and the internet, this means Google has the power to cutoff anyone from a major segment of the “new economy” for any perceived violation of their user agreement without explanation while its current policy is a permanent ban.  This is not only harmful to society, especially to the poor and non-affluent, but a failure to offer offenders a chance at redemption for such petty “sins” and/or offer them meaningful representation has been considered evil since the time of the American Revolution.  At most, the “invalid activity” in my case would have given me $50 worth of revenue, if Google had not refunded all of the ad revenue on my account to its clients. 

Two years later, I re-launched my one webpage as an independent website, yet Google’s policies continue to deny me access to this important source of revenue and segment of the economy.  I understand Google needs to protect its advertisers in order to build confidence in the Adwords/Adsense programs, but automatically suspending an Adsense account for a lifetime without a warning, a full explanation, or a transparent appeals process is terribly heavy handed.  Quite frankly, even the Chinese, Iranian, and former Egyptian governments have been far more lenient and understanding than Google’s Adsense policies.  This overly hawkish approach to punishing Adsense “partners” for irregular site activity, whether it is knowingly their fault or not, is harmful to all users and serves as an example of the harm Google can offhandedly cause our economy/society.

Investigating Google’s charge on my own, I discovered some of my friends and family were just clicking on all the ads, thinking they were helping me.  Thanks to a variety of reasons, my webpages had very little traffic, so this helped significantly inflate my ad revenue.  I immediately told them not to do so.  In addition, I believe I inadvertently violated Google’s user agreement as a result of the fact I plainly forgot what the Adsense agreement disallowed.  Google encourages a culture of logical and intuitive thinking, so I managed my ads in a manner that was logical and intuitive.  Considering Google has a history of offhandedly imposing its own interpretation of intellectual property, privacy, and regulatory laws to pursue its own interests in a logical and intuitive manner, Google should afford its affiliates and partners a similar consideration.  Google does not.

For background, one of my webpages was entirely devoted to learning about and supporting innovative technologies while the other two were dedicated to discussing politics and music.  Given the eerie relevance of Google Ads, it is only logical that I would want to discuss and would want others to discuss their contents on my webpages while Google’s clients should want the same.  I did, in fact, often find the ads quite interesting and informative, so I wanted to discuss them.  My intuitive understanding of the valid activity clause in the user agreement was any activity that revolved around genuine interest; my interpretation was apparently an unacceptable conclusion.  Meanwhile, it is only logical that website managers need to be able to review and control the content on their websites.  As such, I got into the habit of viewing the ads to learn about the products and services they advertised.  There were even some I would prefer not be on my webpages, though I was given no recourse.  Given time constraints and other factors, I would often come back to the same ads a few weeks later.  I also came to use the phrase, "Check out these products and services to support this webpage" to introduce my ads.  Not only did I have these titles on my ads for over a year and a half without receiving a warning from Google, the fact that I was encouraging visitors to take greater interest in displayed products and services is beneficial to Google’s clients, so I felt I was in compliance with Google’s user agreement.

As soon as I discovered Google had disabled my Adsense account, I immediately and openly moved to correct any and all potential violations I may have committed without regard to the logic of my argument and the fact Google offered me no real insights.  Clearly, I tried my best to understand what had been done wrong while I was more than willing to work with Google to resolve any violations.  Google, on the other hand, would only send me an email which bragged about its “sophisticated” filters that the world should simply trust to work effectively and for our mutual interests.  Meanwhile, I tried to offer Google suggestions for a better way forward.  Instead of assuming guilt and creating disruptions to ads on a website, thus causing harm, Google could, and should, have found a way to stop payment for the suspicious activity and/or displayed charitable ads while offering a warning, so Adsense “partners” can address the offending issues.  As Google is a rather talented company, I am absolutely certain that it could address this issue in a less harmful manner while fully protecting its interests, if it would choose to do so.  Instead, Google chooses to use an appeals process that blatantly favors its prejudgment with little regard for what their Adsense “partners” have to say while it bans users for a lifetime.  Quite frankly, Google should be able to offer suspended users a far better explanation than we’ve made a decision as a domineering corporation while suspending an account should be a last resort.  At the very least, users should not be handed down a life sentence the first time Google notices a user is in violation of its agreement.

It appears Google designed its Adsense policies to simply address its own interests and the interests of its large corporate advertisers, while offhandedly neglecting key interests of its low profile Adsense “partners.”  This is strong evidence that Google is well on its way to abandoning the aspirations of its founders.  When there is no chance of correcting oversights and misdoings, Google is acting more like an oppressive, monopolistic dictator than a moral and ethical company while they are demonstrating that they do not trust, support, or respect their Adsense “partners” and other affiliates.  Moreover, Google does a lot of good for the world and engages in many grand gestures of good will, but how it treats the little guy hints at its moral and ethical future.
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        • Should the Government Control Talk Radio to Make it More "balanced"?
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      • Should One's Faith Influence a Citizen's Vote?
      • Should the U.S. Government Help Fund Election Campaigns?
      • On Defunding Political Science Research
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      • Justice for All: The Case for Legal, Social, Economic, and Personal Justice
      • Why Hardliner Thinking in the NSA and CIA is Doing Damage
      • On the Baby Boomer’s Self-Centeredness
      • The Case for Personal Responsibility
      • What Modern Day Revolutionaries Need to Learn from Leader's like Mandela
      • Rising Western Acceptance of LGBT Primes Culture Clash
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      • Perceptions of the United States
      • How Honesty Relates to the Great Recession
      • Why the Middle Class and Rich Need to Support Their Long-term Interests
      • The Aristocratic Republic of the United States of America
      • Discussing the Need for Community Support
      • Why New Forms of Capitalism and Socialism Will Compliment Each Other
      • The Reason We Need to Understand What it is to Be Poor in America
      • Why the World Needs to Reinvest in America
      • Why Are We Against Terrorism?
      • Why Does Terrorism Exist?
      • US Influence: The Value of American Citizenship Around the World
      • Responding to "the Soldier as Sacrficial Victim"
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      • How comfort defines us as people >
        • Is Suicide a Cowardly Way Out?
      • Defense Against the Dark Arts of Manipulators
      • Defining Abuse >
        • On the Willing Victim of Abuse
        • How to Understand Abuse Victims
        • Recognizing Abuse
      • The Role of Substitution in Decision Making
      • Trying to Understand PTSD and Other Trauma-induced Mental Health Issues
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        • Mental Illness is Not the Cause of Anger and Violence >
          • Trying to Understand the Boston Marathon Bombing and Other Violent Crimes
          • Getting into the Twisted Mind of the Tucson Murder
      • Describing the Mind as Modes of Thought >
        • It’s Just Sex?
      • Relationships, or Arrangement
      • Understanding the Effects of Groupthink in the Workplace
      • Relating Circular, Inductive, and Deductive Reasoning to the Scientific Method and Religion
      • What is a Redneck? Understanding Different Cultures and Thinking
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      • The Need for Greater Economic Leverage >
        • Evaluating NAFTA and TPP
        • Undercutting Logistics with the Underpaid Independent Contractor
        • Unions: Hindrance or Essential to Free Markets
        • Eminent Domain Used Against Banks
        • Haitians Sue the UN for Failure to Help With Cholera
        • Looking at How Corn-based Ethanol and Other Alternative Energy Subsidies Stack Up
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        • Irish Sovereignty Lost Before Bailout
        • Why Sudan's Greatest Long-Term Hurdle is Our Lowest-bidder Economy
        • Reduce US Imports by Buying American Made Products
      • Ending the need for government support and tackling poverty
      • Income inequality: understanding the limitations and psychology of disadvantage
      • Looking at the Future of American Jobs >
        • On Questioning the Need to Address Economic Disparity
        • Minimum Wage is Not the Problem
        • Responding to the "Blip"
        • Why Education Is Not The Civil Rights Issue Of The Twenty-First Century
      • Considering the Impact of the Capital Gains Tax Deduction
      • Embracing a Capitalist Mindset >
        • Capitalism Versus Socialism
        • The Negatives of Socialism
      • Stealing Intellectual Property
      • Changing Business Models: From Enduring Entities to Cash Cows
      • Consumer and Investor Evolution in the Great Recession of 2008-09
      • Dealing with the Issues Surrounding the Patenting of Self-replicating Technologies
      • Is Technology Threatening Jobs?
    • Education >
      • The Role of Education in Creating a More Dynamic Workforce
      • Primary Education in America and the Changing Needs of Society
      • The Greatness of the American Education System
      • Ideas for Improving the United States Education System
      • Are Teachers Treated as Professionals?
      • Is Engaging Parents in Their Children's Education a Major Factor in Turning Around Low-performing Schools?
      • Should Grants Be Awarded to School Districts that Try Innovative Methods to Improve Student Achievement?
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      • On Reading the US Constitution
      • The Senate should not do more to limit the powers of the Judicial Branch
      • On the DOJ Justifying the “targeted Killings” of US Citizens
      • Corporations Do Not Have the Same Rights as US Citizens >
        • Corporate America Pleads the First
      • Discussing the Constitutionality of Per Capita Taxes
      • Was the California Supreme Court Right in Legalizing Gay Marriage?
      • Should the Bible Continue to Be Used for Swearing-in Ceremonies and in Courtrooms?
      • Should Religious Student Clubs Be Allowed in Public Schools?
      • Should the Government Control Talk Radio to Make it More "balanced"?
      • The Second Amendment: Not Outdated >
        • Are We Losing Our Second Amendment Rights
      • Eminent Domain Used Against Banks
      • Should a Woman Have the Right to Choose Abortion? >
        • Should Fathers Be Able to Opt Out of Parenthood?
      • Should Smoking Be Allowed in Public Places?
      • Is Teen Driving a Right or a Privilege?
      • Should US Companies Be Required to Provide Equal Pay to Women and Men?
      • Is eighteen too young to vote?
      • First Amendment Rights: The Priviledge of The Press
      • Do Mandatory Seat Belt Laws Violate Individual Rights?
      • Should cell phone use be banned while driving?
      • Dealing with the link between video game violence and children's behavior
      • Should police have to submit to routine drug and alcohol testing?
      • Public schools should not impose mandatory drug testing on students
      • Are High Taxes on Cigarettes Proper?
      • Should pharmacists be required to violate their religious beliefs and dispense the "Morning After Pill?"
      • Should school counselors uphold patient privacy or report students who become unstable?
  • For the record
    • Ongoing Issues >
      • Red Dawn in Ukraine: Understanding the Actions of Russia >
        • On Russia’s Coercion of Ukraine
        • The Russian Annexation of Crimea in the Eyes of the World
        • Putin Has Overplayed His Hand With Crimea
        • Ukraine in Terms of Resovereignization
        • Avoiding a Conflict Between America and Russia Over Ukraine
        • What Drives the World’s Interest in Russia’s Actions in Ukraine
      • China’s Aggressive Pursuit of Interests Demands a Global Response
      • Iran Makes a Deal: A Start to a Long-term Diplomatic Effort to Denuclearize Iran >
        • On the Future of a Nuclear Negotiations with Iran
      • America's Sphere of Influence: Retaking South-East Asia >
        • Power in Asia: Looking at the Power Shift in Japan
        • The China Paradox: Why America is Worried About China
      • Assessing US Support of Israel >
        • Tread Softly Israel for a Heavy Step May Be Your Undoing
      • Understanding the Dysfunctional Nature of the US-Pakistani Relationship
      • Recognizing the True Threat Behind the Current Unrest in the Middle East >
        • Reacting to the Escalating Crackdown in Syria
      • Assessing the Threat of North Korea >
        • Answering North Korea's Call for Food Aid: Breaking the Vicious Cycle Forced Upon Us by a Warring Nation
        • Dealing with the Restarting of the Korean War
        • North Korea Attacks South Korea
      • Dealing with the Ill-effects of Climate Change
      • Racial Inequality and Oppression Do Truly Exist in Today's Society
      • Should energy independence be a high priority in the US?
      • An overview of world wide Human Rights violations
      • Nuclear Threat from Pakistan
      • Return of The Cold War?
    • World >
      • Coverage of FIFA World Cup is a Chance to Focus on Poverty >
        • The FIFA World Cup Offers Benefits for More Than Brazilian Soccer Fans
        • FIFA Can Bring Brazilians Together as a Nation
      • Being Prepared for Any Potential Dangers at the FIFA World Cup Games
      • Treading Softly on the Politicizing of the 2014 Sochi Olympics Over Gay Rights
      • Why NATO Operations in Libya Lack a Well-defined Mission
      • China Hijacks the Web
      • Lessons from the Great Japanese Earthquake of 2011
      • A Modernizing Cuba Offers an Opportunity for Capitalists
      • The Seeds of Democracy Take Root in the Middle East
      • The Rebirth of Democracy in Tunisia
      • What May Come from the Hurt Revolution in Libya
      • Responding to the Violence of Qaddafi and Other Besieged Leaders
      • Embracing the Rise of a Democratic Egypt
      • Protests in Afghanistan Turn Deadly for Coalition Forces and UN Personnel
      • Haiti: Another Failing Humanitarian Investment
      • What Karzai Can Learn from Calderon
      • START II: A Necessary, Easy Success that Nearly Failed
      • Why Does the U.S. Government Support Independence for the Breakaway Serb Territory of Kosovo but Oppose Independence for the Breakaway Georgian Territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia?
      • Iraq's Electric Issues: When Human Wants Trump Economic Sense
      • The International Community Reacts to Wikileaks: We May Be Moving Toward a Third World War in Cyberspace
      • On Climate Gate
      • Assessing Obama's Afghanistan War strategy
      • 2009 Iranian Presidential Election: The Fallout
      • Resolving Sri Lankan Conflict through Free Media
      • What are the Global Consequences of Russia's Invasion of Georgia
      • The War in Iraq: an assessment of President Bush's surge strategy
      • Drug War: Actions of Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador in terms of Resovereignization
      • Is the Iraq Refugee Crisis America's Responsibility?
      • US support for a united Kosovo, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia: why?
      • Should the US withdraw from Iraq?
      • Setting a Timetable for Troop Withdrawal from Iraq is a Terrible Mistake
      • War on Terrorism is needed
    • Law and Order >
      • Rape in the US Military
      • Ethics of Force-feeding Guantanamo Bay Detainees
      • Reacting to the Aftermath of the Tucson Massacre
    • Economy >
      • Affordability Drives Fear of Obamacare and the Individual Mandate
      • Is the Economy Built for a Job's Recovery?
      • Gutting Healthcare Reform of the Individual Mandate
      • Arizona Budget Cuts Lead to Lethal Healthcare Rationing:
      • Shameful Collection Practices of American Banks
      • The Fed Reveals it Actually Undertook an International Bailout
      • Thoughts on French Budgetary Reforms
      • Seniors Start Businesses
      • The Case for Slimming Down the US Military to Make it Better
      • Looking at the Obama Administration's New Approach to Economic Policy
      • Should the Government Regulate the Credit Card Industry?
      • The Big Three's Big Chance
      • The Unhealthy Tone of the Healthcare Reform Debate
      • Should the federal government offer a bailout for home owners?
      • Environmentalists: Do They Do More Good Than More Harm?
      • Responding to Scott Walker's Contribution to the War on Unions
    • US Government >
      • America Needs to Focus on the Impending Fiscal Crisis
      • Reacting to the Bush Era-tax Cut Extension Deal
      • Quitting the Obama Revolution: The Fickle Nature of American Politics
      • John Boehner's Circus
      • Is the Fed Putting Itself in Jeopardy?
      • Wikileaks Goes After the US State Department
      • Discussing the Political Environment Surrounding the 2011 Budget Debate
      • What the Democrats Can Do to Ensure a GOP Year in 2012
      • What the 2010 Midterm Actually Said
      • Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper
      • Democrats Minus Nancy Pelosi Equals Opportunity
      • Terrorists Go Postal: The Terrorism Threat Reexamined
      • Victory in the 2008 Election: Reaction to Barack Obama'a Win >
        • Expectations for Barack Obama
      • President Obama's first one hundred days
      • John McCain's Negative Campaign
      • Reasons People did not Elect John Mccain
      • History judges the George W. Bush Administration
      • Should the next US President focus on domestic issues?
      • President Bush, should he resign or be impeached
      • Should the Ban on Government Sponsored Assassinations be Repealed
    • Off Topic >
      • A Face of America’s Greatest Generation
      • A Story About a Man Who Made the World a Better Place
      • Making the World a Better Place
      • The Bipolar Ethical Nature of Google
      • Learning Computer Plays Jeopardy
      • Verifying Medicine is the Real Thing
      • Taking a Practical Step Forward in Optical Computing Using Slow Light
      • Scientists Take a Closer Look at How Lithium Batteries Work
      • Remarking on the First Blizzard of the 2010-2011 Winter Season
      • Driving in the Snow: Acceleration is the Key
      • How People in Northwest PA Are Coping with the Increasing Cost of Oil
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