Google has failed to enforce its policy to demonetise YouTube adverts on climate disinformation content according to a new report from the Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) coalition.
The news comes in the wake of TikTok announcing its new climate misinformation policy.
In October 2021, YouTube updated its policy so that that adverts are not permitted to contradict “authoritative scientific consensus on the existence of and causes behind climate change.”
CAAD researchers however found 100 videos carrying ads which have breaching this policy, with videos amassing a total of 18.8 million views. Brands that carried these ads include Nike, Hyundai and Emirates.
An example of a climate denial claim includes: “Climate hysteria is just another rebrand, a Trojan horse for anti-white anti- Western communist tyranny”.
Subscribe to Marketing Beat for free
Sign up here to get the latest marketing news sent straight to your inbox each morning
“We need to force Google to open up the black box of its advertising business,” said Callum Hood, head of research at the Center for Countering Digital Hate, talking to Friends of the Earth earlier this week.
The CAAD has advised Google to enforce its promise not to profit from climate denial on YouTube and other platforms. It also recommends Google expand its policy to cover other forms of climate disinformation.
This is not the first time YouTube has been called out for distorted adverts. In February 2023, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found over 10,000 misleading financial scams and promotions featured on social media platforms Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.
