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Google search for a local restaurant returns scammer’s ad as top result

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Re: Google search for a local restaurant returns scammer’s ad as top result

#71

Post by jtode »

sneak wrote: post #63
bell-cot wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Isn't there a small thing called "regulators" for this? Or is the US... The latter, partly. But a bigger problem is that actually-functional government is no longer part of the worldview of most of the public. Ditto for serious consequences for the responsible elected officials, when government fails at its basic functions. Without those things, it is really not possible to sustain a high-functioning government.

Nevermind that if you are relying primarily on agents of the state to prevent fraud, your society is already fundamentally broken. The state enforcing laws using the threat of violence (the only enforcement mechanism they have) is a last resort, not a first. Institutions having the desire to not create a broken world should be the first line of defense. Google doesn't give a fuck anymore, and are fine watching the wo…

I've had a few conversations with Google employees, and every one of them had a faint tinge of koolaid on their breath.

Re: Google search for a local restaurant returns scammer’s ad as top result

#72

Post by bell-cot »

izacus wrote: post #67
bell-cot wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Isn't there a small thing called "regulators" for this? Or is the US... The latter, partly. But a bigger problem is that actually-functional government is no longer part of the worldview of most of the public. Ditto for serious consequences for the responsible elected officials, when government fails at its basic functions. Without those things, it is really not possible to sustain a high-functioning government.

Yeah... but replacing it with a corporation that doesn't even pretend to have an incentive to help you (especially when its monopolistic in their field like Google/Apple/Microsoft are) doesn't make things better. You can't even vote. More importantly, it makes them irreplaceable since competing products from smaller companies simply cannot afford policing at such level while the bad actors are running around unpunish…

Quite true. But a huge number of people seem to believe in the mega-corporate "government is the problem" capitalist dystopia. Where you can - at most - vote your purchasing dollars for corporations which have managed to convince you that they are somewhat less evil.

So long as the people believe that their only choice is "which king will rule over us?", their society will remain a monarchy.

Re: Google search for a local restaurant returns scammer’s ad as top result

#73

Post by bell-cot »

sneak wrote: post #63
bell-cot wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Isn't there a small thing called "regulators" for this? Or is the US... The latter, partly. But a bigger problem is that actually-functional government is no longer part of the worldview of most of the public. Ditto for serious consequences for the responsible elected officials, when government fails at its basic functions. Without those things, it is really not possible to sustain a high-functioning government.

Nevermind that if you are relying primarily on agents of the state to prevent fraud, your society is already fundamentally broken. The state enforcing laws using the threat of violence (the only enforcement mechanism they have) is a last resort, not a first. Institutions having the desire to not create a broken world should be the first line of defense. Google doesn't give a fuck anymore, and are fine watching the wo…

Okay. Society is fundamentally broken. Our "last resort" seems to be completely dysfunctional. And the institutions you want as the first line of defense mostly don't exist.

Now what?

Re: Google search for a local restaurant returns scammer’s ad as top result

#74

Post by vintermann »

The scammer has to receive money, and they have to spend money to buy ads. This is usually not something you can do anonymously. I'm wondering why it isn't shut down already, and I wonder how much of Google's ad revenue comes from this sort of thing.

Re: Google search for a local restaurant returns scammer’s ad as top result

#75

Post by SideburnsOfDoom »

joemi wrote: post #11

The most surprising thing about this is that someone as internet-savvy as Doctorow doesn't just skip over the ads but instead clicks on them. That's just asking for trouble.

I think you're missing the point: a journalist with an interest in internet things and "chokepoint capitalism" comes across an everyday example of these, and writes about it, using his experience as a starting point, is not a surprising outcome at all.

Of course he's savvy, that's how he's placed to explain it to less savvy people.

Of course he could just avoid it. You or I might (with a 98% success rate maybe), and then get on with our internet-savvy day job. But doing this is his internet-savvy day job. And good that it is someone's.

Re: Google search for a local restaurant returns scammer’s ad as top result

#76

Post by Nextgrid »

polotics wrote: post #8

In this instance isn't Google guilty of fraud? They put on their website something that defrauds, it being called "search" makes no difference IMHO. Isn't there in the US a small claims court for the restaurant to seek takedown and compensation for damages?

"Fraud" is only really a problem when perpetrated by not-well-connected individuals. When it's done by big companies it's called business.

Re: Google search for a local restaurant returns scammer’s ad as top result

#77

Post by Nextgrid »

samtho wrote: post #25
polotics wrote: post #8

In this instance isn't Google guilty of fraud? They put on their website something that defrauds, it being called "search" makes no difference IMHO. Isn't there in the US a small claims court for the restaurant to seek takedown and compensation for damages?

It will likely be harder than you think to find them. KYC is a joke, a regulatory checkbox that must be ticked to not get in trouble with federal authorities.

You don't need to enforce KYC or a particular verification method by law. Merely making the ad platform liable for any illegal content they get paid to host/serve will make the market resolve the problem immediately.

Re: Google search for a local restaurant returns scammer’s ad as top result

#78

Post by tcmb »

antihero wrote: post #32

I’m just amazed Cory Doctorow of all people doesn’t use uBlock and got duped by this. I’ve always seen Google Ads as about as reliable as the fake download buttons on crappy file websites. You tune them out or block them.

Plot twist: Cory Doctorow gets paid by the restaurant to promote them. He then made the fake website and bought the Google ads in order to concoct this outrage story to go viral.

I mean, if this is a "great Thai restaurant in my neighborhood", how likely is it he ordered there yesterday for the first time?

Re: Google search for a local restaurant returns scammer’s ad as top result

#79

Post by Tozen »

antihero wrote: post #32

I’m just amazed Cory Doctorow of all people doesn’t use uBlock and got duped by this. I’ve always seen Google Ads as about as reliable as the fake download buttons on crappy file websites. You tune them out or block them.

But uBlock doesn't absolve Google of their responsibility. Google is allowing the fake ads on their platforms, which are doing harm. Furthermore, Google is often picking and choosing who is "allowed", relative to the money, and their opaque internal filtering and policies. These "bad ads" are partially making it through, because Google is getting paid, so they can share some of the accountability for widespread fraud and damage.

Re: Google search for a local restaurant returns scammer’s ad as top result

#80

Post by Tozen »

srmarm wrote: post #60

The answer from Google's point of view is for the Thai restaurant to pay more for the advert so they are at the top of the rankings. When Google stopped putting a meaningful distinction between paid results and organic results that was a line for me. It's fine to have an adverts - you have to pay the bills but when the adverts become the results it's just pay to play rentseeking by Google and the product is now untru…

Exactly. Google results can't be trusted, because it's clear they are very manipulated, based on their cut of profits and siphoned data that's used for user targeting. It has reached the point of being suspect, significantly detrimental, and increasingly criminal. And an argument can be made that they are actively suppressing competition, so that useful alternatives are not viable.
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