Google admits profiting from illegal Olympic ticket ads
Google admits profiting from illegal Olympic ticket ads
Google is profiting from ads for illegal products generated by its flagship automated advertising system, the BBC has found.
The ads include unofficial London 2012 Olympics ticket resellers, as well as cannabis and fake ID card sellers.
These ads were promptly removed by Google after the BBC brought them to the company's attention.
Google has also taken down links to illegal Olympic ticket resellers following requests from the police.
But the search giant told 5 live Investigates that the company keeps any money it might make from companies advertising illegal services before such adverts are removed.
Selling tickets on the open market without permission from the Olympic authorities is a criminal offence in the UK under the London Olympic and Paralympic Games Act 2006.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16468846