Posted on 05/12/2003 3:05:21 AM PDT by 2nd_Amendment_Defender
Saturday, May 10, 2003 - In a move that took air gun retailers by surprise this past week, Google, the number one search engine in the world, cut off all paid advertisements for anyone that offers air guns for sale on their websites. These are the "pay-per-click" advertisements that appear on the top and right side of Google search engine pages identified as "Sponsored Links." Not only did Google abruptly end paid air gun advertisements from retailers, but all non-air gun advertisements as well, if it was found that the websites carried air guns for sale. In other words, if a company sells air guns, Google banned all advertisements from that company, including advertisements for items that have nothing to do with air guns. They successfully put companies, literally, out of business this past week.
It goes without saying that a large numbers of companies rely heavily on Google for their advertising. In a number of documented cases, 80% or more of a small company's advertising budget will go to Google. They have become the number one search engine in the world. Without Google, you're nothing on the internet. Many companies would simply go out of business without Google's pay-per-click advertising program.
What makes this even more insidious, is the fact that many other major search engines use Google to drive their engines. Paid advertisements on Google show up on search engines such as AOL, Netscape and many others. It is estimated that Google and their search engine partners control almost 70% of all search queries in the world.
But despite Google's "social conscience" they gladly accept paid advertisements for porn, beastiality, online gambling, alcohol, and sites offering homosexual sex toys. A search for "porn" reveals paid advertisements from such socially acceptable sites like "kinkychicks.net," "analrush.com," and "LuciousLabias.com." But advertisements for the sale of Red Ryder air rifles are forbidden. Go figure! We don't think those sites, despite some being incredibly crude, should be banned by Google. In fact, any site that complies with the law and Google editorial guidelines should be allowed to advertise so long as they are not offensive, even Red Ryder BB air rifles.
One would think since Google protested the blockage of their site in mainland China last year as unwarranted censorship, they would be somewhat sensitive to their own censorship of small companies that are almost 100% dependent for their survival on Google advertising. But, apparently censorship is a one way street with Google.
Google has joined the elite of the politically correct dot.com companies that increasingly build their business policies around far left politics despite having no no need business-wise to establish a political agenda. They're a search engine, not WorldNetDaily. It makes no sense that Google would insert itself into the politics of the left considering the type of service they offer. If it is a blatant effort to "socialize" America, there is no room in this country for that sort of agenda by a privately held company that the public and businesses have become so reliant on for its services.
What happened this past week by Google by pulling the rug out from under my company was uncalled for and damaging to my business as a retailer of air rifles for recreation, competition, hunting and target shooting. No doubt other companies are feeling the sting of leftism as well... in their P&L statements.
What was Google's response to my queries on this matter?
Their initial response was that air rifles and pistols sold required a "blaze orange tip" per federal regulations for toy guns. My site did not state such, nor did the pictures provided show an orange tip on the products. When I challenged Google that the law specifically exempts BB and pellet air guns that fire metal projectiles per federal regulations, of which the passage from the federal code was provided, the slimy answer came back.
"I would recommend that you remove the 'air gun' link from your website in order for you to advertise on Google." Google further went on to say, "As a business, Google must make decisions about where we draw the line in regards to the advertising we accept, both from a legal and company values perspective." Company values? LuciousLabia.com is about company values? I'll tell you this, Google has no values. They have the values of confused young management who march to their emotions, not real values based on a sense of what's right and what's wrong.
There is certainly more to this than just my business. Gun dealers have long been told to stay out of Google. Why? It doesn't suit Google's liking. You see, Google would like everyone to think that internet advertising is all about selling products over the internet. Therefore, gun dealers should not be allowed to advertise. Advertising is not always about selling items over the internet and they know it. A lot of local companies advertise their walk-in stores or local services company simply because of the increasingly large number of people who use internet search engines like the local yellow pages. Firearm dealers cannot advertise their store on Google not because Google thinks they can sell guns over the internet to the public, which we all know they cannot, but because Google has determined they don't like guns. Based on that, who's worse; the Chinese Communist government that Google protested, or Google themselves? I see no difference in either.
Libertarians would say that Google has every right to censor advertising. They are a private company after all. I say, NOT in this situation. When a company becomes the dominant player in the control of information such as Google, they, like the utility and gas company, now has an OBLIGATION to deal fairly and above board with the public. If they fail to do so by playing politics using censorship to determine what is appropriate for the public to see, and by denying a company the right to survive in the marketplace they, by definition, now control who competes in the marketplace and who doesn't. That just isn't right in a free capitalistic, society.
Remember, if you can't advertise on Google, ads will not appear on another half dozen of the largest search engines. The other major search engines don't handle the advertising accounts. It's all done through Google as the gatekeeper. All this borders on infringement of fair trade because of the business relationship they have with the other major search engines. How do you bypass Google and advertise with Netscape? You don't, because it's set up so you can't. Cozy, isn't it? In the long haul it's the kind of business behavior that invites government regulation which no one wants to see. But, if it happens, they have no one to blame but their own management team.
Having said all that, I and other business people are becoming increasingly agitated that political agendas have inserted themselves into day-to-day business dealings, where none should exist. But, if this is the game Google wants to play, then let's rumble. It will only be a matter of time before they decide to remove knives, pepper spray, stun guns or sharp sticks. Worse yet, they may try to remove unpaid website listings because they don't meet their agenda either. This nonsense needs to stop.
I do not condone a boycott of Google. It serves no purpose to hurt legitimate companies engaged in business because of the political agenda of Google's senior management. However, you can certainly voice your opinion on their pay-per-click advertising policy at: comments@google.com
Maybe enough voices of discontent will have a positive effect on Google changing their unfair and biased practices.
I checked the links and they are either for paintball guns, industrial air nozzles, or the "politically correct" orange tip air guns - and that site was heavily skewed to the paintball crowd, with none of the major manufacturers of target airguns represented.
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