Google, Guns, and "Censorship"?

Not trying to be HBT here, just found this interesting. https://support.google.com/adwordspolicy/answer/176077?hl=en

Now, I am with them on not advertising bombs, which most likely are illegal. :-D

Now, as a gun person, and a fan of the free market, I don't like what the google is doing, but, as I see it, they have every right to do it. Me, I just changed search engines.

As I said, not trying to stir things up, just curious what you folks think about a large entity like the google deciding to ban, oh, let's just say coffee adds.

Mods, sorry if this is HBT, feel free to edit/close the thread.

Curious about opinions/thoughts on an entity like google deciding a segment of legal consumer goods are not 'allowed'. Or more accurately, ending advertising for a segment of legal items.

Heck to 'Google' is pretty much a verb is it not? I always thought of them as kinda 'open source'.

Now, google searches for guns and gun stuff still works. This is just the 'targeted' add stuff.

Your thoughts?

 

Coffee ads? If they don't want to make money by selling it, that's their call. That's how the free market works.

 

I can't really see a problem with it, because it's their prerogative to have or not have ads for whatever product they like. I do find it funny, however, since sites that use Google Ads have no control over what ads are shown.

Of course, 99% of the time I'm online I'm running AdBlock software because I hate that crap (I turn it off for select sites to support them), so targeted ads are lost on me anyway. And since I can think of exactly zero times I would be looking online to buy a gun, I wouldn't miss them not being in targeted ads anyway. And since if I were to buy an ad on Google it would be for the jewelry I make, none of their restrictions would affect me at all.

I guess the thing is, as someone selling something who wants to buy an ad, you have to pick your audience. Obviously if you're selling weaponry of some kind, Google Ads is not for you. But if someone uses Google as their search engine and results still come up, then I truly don't see a problem here.

*The same would hold true if we were talking about widgets rather than guns. Google (or anyone else, for that matter) is entitled to allow or not allow whatever they want, since it's their playground. If that doesn't work for someone, then choosing to use a different search engine is probably a good move. That's the beauty of competition.

 

Thanks for the replies, and as I said, while I don't like it, I don't have a problem with google doing it. I was thinking about the courts requiring a company do provide a service they don't want to, but google can do this. I think it would go HBT pretty quickly, so will just leave it at this.

Are you implying I am not well informed on current events? :-D

I did first hear about it on a gun forum, but got auto emails from other places I use for news.

 

I was not offended at all. Just funnin' with you. :-D

 

Hey, I just ran across this article, too. Not the same, yet kind of.

Google Purges Porn From Its Ad Network

 

Interesting, had not heard of that.

 

I think it's easy to get caught up in the idealism vs pragmatism but it's just math, if they gain consumers and producers who want to be associated with a company that doesn't promote guns then it makes sense.

Porn and sex toys are legal and don't harm anyone but when purchasing a firearm would you want to shop in a place that openly displays and promotes them or would you prefer a regular gun shop? Similar argument.

Google is very mainstream now and the mainstream doesn't like anything that's isn't family safe, so I expect a lot more censorship from Google until the type of things advertised are almost identical to regular family TV ads.

 

OK, I am taking this as companies can choose who they sell to, based on what they want to be associated with?

Guns and porn? I got to say you are stretching it there, but I get your point.