Google says ZeroHedge can run Google ads again after removing 'derogatory' comments

Megan Graham, CNBC
·2 min read

Google is once again allowing financial web site ZeroHedge to make money using Google’s ad platform.

In mid-June, Google told CNBC it had banned ZeroHedge 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. ZeroHedge 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.”

In mid-June, NBC News reported Google had also warned conservative publication The Federalist about the content in its comments section and gave it an opportunity to address the issues to prevent removal from its ads platform. The Federalist said last month it had deleted its comments section. At the time, Federalist co-founder Sean Davis called the matter a “pretty terrifying example of the power that you have of the unholy union of corrupt media and monopolistic tech oligarchs.”

ZeroHedge didn’t immediately return an emailed request for comment

Earlier this year, Twitter banned the ZeroHedge account from the social media platform after it published an article linking a Chinese scientist to the outbreak of the fast-spreading coronavirus last week, saying the account had violated “platform manipulation policy.” The account was reinstated in June, with Twitter calling the removal a mistake.