According to a report released on Thursday by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), Google is profiting from ads placed by anti-abortion groups for fake “crisis pregnancy centers” that pretend to be reproductive healthcare clinics but aim to dissuade individuals from accessing abortion care. In the last two years, Google has earned an estimated $10.2 million from these ads.
The report reveals that the fake clinic ads specifically target 15,000 searches related to abortion, such as “abortion pill,” “abortion clinic,” “abortion clinic near me,” and “planned parenthood.” The CCDH researchers analyzed ads from a list of 188 identified fake clinic websites that placed ads on Google Search between March 2021 and February 2023 using the enterprise analytics tool Semrush.
Keyword data analysis showed that 84 percent of the 188 fake clinics have targeted users searching for abortion-related keywords or phrases at some point. Furthermore, researchers found that 71 percent of these fake clinic websites use deceptive techniques to mislead individuals seeking abortions. These techniques include promoting misleading claims linking abortion to harm, failing to carry disclaimers on their homepages stating that they do not provide abortions, and promoting so-called abortion “reversal.”
Interestingly, the report also reveals that the anti-abortion movement spends four times as much on Google Search ads for fake clinics compared to ads for overt campaigns to restrict abortion care, indicating a significant focus on promoting the fake clinics.
This report follows a previous one published by CCDH in September 2021, which found that ads for dangerous abortion “reversal” appeared on 83 percent of Google searches for abortions. In response to that report, Google vowed to remove any ads promoting abortion reversal pills and ban ads containing unproven medical claims. However, the new report shows that Google has accepted an estimated $2.6 million to run Google search ads for fake clinic websites promoting abortion “reversal” since making that pledge.
A spokesperson for Google stated that the company requires any organization advertising abortion services to be certified and disclose clearly whether they offer abortions or not. The spokesperson also reiterated that Google does not permit ads promoting abortion reversal treatments and prohibits advertisers from misleading people about their services. Action has been taken on content that violates these policies.
In response to these findings, CCDH recommends that Google demand transparency from fake clinics running ads and prioritize genuine abortion clinics. It also suggests that lawmakers grant the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) the power to prohibit misleading advertising on abortion.
In conclusion, while Google claims to have policies in place to ensure clear and trustworthy advertising, the report reveals that there are still gaps in implementation. CCDH’s recommendations aim to address these issues and promote transparency and accuracy in online advertising related to abortion.
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