Google itself has argued that it is both a publisher with editorial oversight and a platform, based on Section 230, with no liability for the comments that users may express on the GOOG's various sites.
It apparently depends on which position is more convenient for any particular fact set.
From CNBC, July 14:
- Google has resumed running ads on financial market website Zero Hedge, saying the website had removed material that caused it to be removed from Google’s ad platform last month.
- In mid-June, Google said it had taken action against Zero Hedge because of the comments section of the site, which Google said consistently violated its policy against dangerous and derogatory material.
- Google said Zero Hedge appealed the demonetization after deciding to remove the content and implementing comment moderation.
Google is once again allowing financial web site Zero Hedge to make money using Google’s ad platform.....MORE
In mid-June, Google told CNBC it had banned Zero Hedge from using its ad platform because of the comments section of the site, which Google said consistently violated its policy against dangerous and derogatory material. Zero Hedge removed the content and implemented moderation on the comments section, then appealed Google’s move.
On Tuesday, Google said its team had re-reviewed the site, confirmed the material had been removed and began allowing it to begin running ads again on June 21. CNBC verified ads were running through Google on the site as of Tuesday.
“We work with publishers to keep them aware of our monetization policies, which cover user comments on sites, and offer guidance on how to address policy violations if they wish to be reinstated,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement. “We have policies like these for many reasons, including to ensure companies advertising with us have confidence their ads aren’t running against dangerous, derogatory or hateful content.”
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