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Google fights the law in Mississippi

by on03 July 2013

Profits from Youtube

The good people of Mississippi have decided to take Google to the cleaners for making money on the back of Youtube. Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood claims that Google is making a killing from advertisement revenue from YouTube videos that depict and even promote dangerous or illegal activities.

Hood asked Google to address issues on its search site that are allowing consumers to obtain illegal and counterfeit goods, including the online sale of dangerous drugs without a prescription. He has been joined in his crusade by Jon Bruning, Nebraska attorney general, and Scott Pruitt, attorney general of Oklahoma.

"We understand that YouTube is an open platform and that not all content can or should be policed," they wrote.

Apparently they find it "troubling" that Google actively seeks to profit from the posting of the objectionable videos. They want information on measures that the search engine outfit has taken to avoid hosting paid advertising on videos containing illegal or objectionable content, and to remove such advertising once such videos are discovered.

The attorneys general also want information on how much revenue Google has received from advertising associated with the videos. One of the kickers are the number of videos promoting the sale of prescription painkiller drugs without a prescription, providing guides for forging passports and driving licenses and promoting the sale of counterfeit merchandise.

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