Scam advertisements are everywhere, but Facebook and Google, the two tech companies have failed to address dealing with them. According to a new study, even though the users already reported the adverts on the platforms, the problems were not entirely solved.
Study Unveils Facebook and Google’s Failed Response to Scam Adverts
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According to a report by Sky News, there were 34% of the users who have reported the advert to Google. However, it only appeared that the content was removed even though it was not. On the other hand, 26% of the Facebook users shared a similar sentiment.
With the perpetuating fraudulent adverts that often appear on social media, users only know that by reporting them to the respective creators, they will not see any hint of them.
However, the approach made by the two companies seems to be a “failure” as the researchers have said. Most probably, the action could prompt the Online Safety Bill to add the online scams in its book.
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In the study, 27% who encountered fishy adverts on either social media or search engines said that they saw them on Facebook. Google users accounting for 19% reported the same instance.
It was also found out that almost half of the respondents who became victims of the scam adverts said that they did not submit any report to Facebook and Google. 31% cast some doubts about the platforms that is why they decided to not report the content.
What the Expert Says About Facebook and Google’s Move
CNBC reported that Facebook and Google are only two of the tech giants that benefited from the pandemic when it comes to advertising.+
In connection to the study, these companies still failed to remedy their approach when tackling reports of fraudulent content. As per Adam French, a consumer rights expert, these actions only further harm the users by exposing them to the deceptive scheme.
French highlighted that the social media giants, together with the government and the regulators do not need anymore to go beyond the issue to put an end to the growing scams.
Presently, it is still a mystery which apps permit the growth of fraud in the platform through giving a scam alert service to the users for free.
“Online platforms must be given a legal responsibility to identify, remove and prevent fake and fraudulent content on their sites. The case for including scams in the Online Safety Bill is overwhelming and the government needs to act now,” French added.
To hear some words from Facebook, a spokesperson from the company said that they are not allowing any fraudulent activity and they have already acted on punishing the reported pages.
The recent change of the app in distinguishing real content from fake could be an effective solution to stop the spread of the scam adverts.
The spokesperson continued that they continue to keep the online environment safe through their 35,000-man crew which regularly looks after deleting malicious content in the platform.
Moreover, the spokesperson added that they have already donated £3 million to the UK Scam Action Programme to ease the problem of dealing with fake accounts.
Meanwhile, Google stated that they are always monitoring the sites, accounts, and ads to look if they are in line with the app’s policies. The company also said that they have already deleted more than 3.1 billion ads that bypassed their implementations.
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Written by Joseph Henry
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