The real Net Neutrality story...
Regards
Craig
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2018/02/12/major-advertiser-threatens-to-pull-ads-from-google-facebook-over-trash-content.html
Major advertiser threatens to pull ads from Google, Facebook over trash content
Twitter, Google, Facebook grilled by Congress: What we know
Unilever, one of the world's largest advertisers, is threatening to cut back on
its marketing using tech giants such as Google and Facebook if the platforms
“create division,” fuel hateful views or fail to protect children, The
Financial Times reported.
The company is set to put the Silicon Valley companies in a limelight during a
speech Monday by Unilever’s chief marketing officer Keith Weed during the
annual Interactive Advertising Bureau conference.
“As one of the largest advertisers in the world, we cannot have an environment
where our consumers don’t trust what they see online,” Weed is expected to tell
the audience, the paper reported. “We cannot continue to prop up a digital
supply chain — one that delivers over a quarter of our advertising to our
consumers — which at times is little better than a swamp in terms of its
transparency.”
The advertiser’s criticism follows lawmakers, activists and former tech
executives who criticize the Silicon Valley tech companies for their lack of
transparency, inability to scrub their platforms of extremist or illegal
content and curb the spread of the so-called “fake news.”
Ian Whittaker and Annick Maas, analysts at Liberum, told The Guardian that
YouTube – which is owned by Google – and Facebook are facing “difficulties in
persuading advertisers that their product offers a brand safe environment.”
They added: “Moreover, given the number of videos uploaded, there will always
be an element of videos slipping through the net, which is likely to fuel
further negative publicity. We therefore do not see this problem going away for
the online platforms.”
“It is clear advertisers are becoming increasingly wary of online’s quality and
so are unlikely to shift money aggressively from TV to online as these concerns
mount.”
Weed is expected to promise to “prioritize investing” only in digital platforms
that act responsibly and create “a positive impact in society.”
“Unilever will not invest in platforms or environments that do not protect our
children or which create division in society, and promote anger or hate,” the
chief marketing officer plans to say on Monday. “We will prioritize investing
only in responsible platforms that are committed to creating a positive impact
in society.”
Unilever is expected to warn other advertisers to take the Google-Facebook
duopoly to the task and prevent the erosion of trust online.
“Consumers don’t care about third-party verification. They do care about
fraudulent practice, fake news, and Russians influencing the US election. They
don’t care about good value for advertisers. But they do care when they see
their brands being placed next to ads funding terror or exploiting children,”
Weed is set to say.