Ubiquitous Web Ad/Fake News - "Billionaire Tells Americans to Prepare For 'Financial Ruin'"
I think everyone has seen these right wing type headlines on various "mainstream" news websites. Instead of being limited to ads, paid propagandists use services like Taboola, which blur the line between content provided by the relatively trusted website that you are on and paid political propaganda or advertisements disguised at news. First, I think this is a serious breach of ethics that news organizations allow such ads to be distributed on their websites, since they falsely suggest that the article is being published by a reputable news organization. You have to read the fine print that the content is actually provided by another provider, and sometimes it is not disclosed that it is essentially a paid ad. Second, displaying such ads constitutes a fraud on viewers and readers of content. Sometimes, these pseudo editorials and news stories encourage viewers to take certain actions that might benefit the hidden advertiser. For example, a seller of precious metals might push financial collapse stories in order to generate demand for precious metals.
In the end, what difference is there between such fake news and propaganda and more typical pump and dump schemes? It is amazing the lack of scrutiny that is being given to these growing practices.
ROFL! After I posted this, I noticed a web ad that was displayed alongside my most:
http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/simgad/5686844314163817920
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