Google Adwords Censors Humor Site Critical of Bush

[republicansarewhores]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 17th, 2004
Press Contact: [e-mail]



Google Adwords restricts controversial website from

advertising political playing cards critical of President Bush.

www.deckofbush.com

(LOS ANGELES, CA.) Notice to websites promoting items critical of President Bush: don't expect Google Adwords to approve your internet campaign using their search engine and sponsored links service. In a stunning act of political censorship, the creators of the "Deck of Bush", a satirical playing card deck listing "54 reasons NOT to re-elect the President" were informed Tuesday that their recently submitted ad word campaign did "not meet Google's guidelines" and was being suspended. The unnaceptable content defined by Google Adwords was the use of the keywords "George Bush", "George W. Bush", "President Bush", "Bush Cards", "Bush Decks"; all words directly related to the cards being sold at: www.deckofbush.com.

"Now I know how Howard Stern feels" said co-creator Jerry Vasilatos. "Someone at Google Ad Words is deliberately trying to prevent our site from coming up when people search out these words and phrases. What's ironic, is that Google Adwords allows ad campaigns for products and items supportive of President Bush as can be attested by other sponsored links which appear when you search out the keywords they deem unacceptable for our use which are using the same keywords. In addition, if you do a search using any variety of sexual phrases, apparently Google does approve running campaigns for websites endorsing sex with teens, urination and other sexual fetishes. The hypocrisy regarding their definition that "Google policy does not permit the advertisement of websites that contain "language that advocates against an individual, group, or organization", and "language that advocates against an individual, group, or organization" is astounding. While Google prohibits our ads promoting our website because it contains "language that advocates against an individual group"(President Bush), apparently it condones advertisements for websites promoting sex with the underaged which we think advocates criminal behavior against individuals and groups (underaged children)."

The creators of the "Deck of Bush" challenged Google's claim that it "believes strongly in freedom of expression and therefore offers broad access to content across the web without censoring search results."

"We made our case requesting an explanation as to why Google allowed other campaigns that violated their definitions above, yet received a typical form-mail response." Vasilatos continues. "How could we possibly promote our website without the use of these keywords to drive traffic to our site when our content is directly related to President Bush? There is no good explanation other than someone at Google doesn't want to drive traffic to www.deckofbush.com in a sponsored link we are willing to pay for. We've also submitted our URL several times to Google and our site will not come up while others meeting the same criteria supportive of President Bush and his policies do."

"This isn't the first time our efforts were blocked with these playing cards either" Vasilatos says. "We originally couldn't even find a company stateside to print our cards because of their controversial political content, and were turned away by other marketing companies we approached to help us promote and market our decks. Eventually, Carta Mundi of Tennessee supported our rights to free speech and printed our cards for us. The cards have been a great way for people to share information on why the re-election of this President and the representatives endangers the future of our country."

Vasilatos has mirrored the adword campaign at the "Deck of Bush" web site so that people can see for themselves the "objectionable" content for which Google suspended the campaign. The "House of Cards: Deck of Bush" can be viewed online at www.deckofbush.com.

More at: http://www.deckofbush.com/google.html

[I_like_chicken]

1. wow

I actually thought google was a good company. You can almost hear Goebbels ghost whispering in your ear: ~vote for bush~

[MichaelHarris]

2. Once again, where is this crap

coming from 3 times already today.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1616795

I'll post my same response:

I know that probably some censorship at Google takes place and maybe they lean right, I don't know but I take these kinds of articles with a grain of salt. You have to put it all in context. You have a search engine that will give you hits on lets say "Sex with Guavas" but they ban keywords such as Peace, No War, Activism, and Torture?

Lets do a little research because sometimes its not only the right that spins.

Peace: 29,800,000 hits. Think one of them may have linked to this movie?

No War: 12,700,00 hits. What about here?

Activism: 2,630,000 hits. Not as many but maybe a mention of the movie.

Torture: 8,050,000 hits. Gotta be a mention here right?

I read the article at the website as well as the post and no one took the time to get Google's response. Did Google tell these people that the ads would be pulled and if so was it by email? By letter? By phone? Did anyone take the time to get a contact at Google who send the message the ads we're pulled?

My point with this response is not to piss anyone off but to show how, we as liberals look if we listen to every cock-and-bull story we here and relate it as news. Why we'd look like freeper 'I told ya so" fools everytime someone finds a vial of something in Iraq. We're better than that, and smarter. Don't get sucked into pseudo-media void of innuendo and lies. Take some time to research the stories you see. Lets not become freeperesque. I made that word up, I like it. Your all welcome to use it.


This is just some kind of right-wing scam to get our panties all in a ball. There's no way Google would do this. Do some searches yourself I'll bet a trillion dollars you'll find the cards. Don't fall for these wacko scams.

on edit: searched deckofbush got 1,880 hits you can buy the cards at all of them. Research is such a wonderful tool. :)

[republicansarewhores]

5. Read the Press Release at Deck of Bush

They did contact Google, and were told:

"Google policy does not permit the advertisement of websites that contain "language that advocates against an individual, group, or organization", and "language that advocates against an individual, group, or organization".

Because the Deck of Bush playing cards are anti-Bush, and spreading an anti-Bush message, they are being deemed unacceptable by Google Adwords.

However use the same keywords "Deck of Bush" was using, specifically: "George Bush", "George W. Bush", "President Bush", "Bush Cards", "Bush Decks" and you will find a range of other items that could use the keywords for items supportive or neutral about Bush. However Google Adwords does not consider sites condoning underage sex with minors as viloating the same guidelines regarding "language that advocates against an individual, group, or organization", and "language that advocates against an individual, group, or organization".

Weird.

RAW

[MichaelHarris]

6. simple

searched deckofbush got 1,880 hits you can buy the cards at all of them. Research is such a wonderful tool. :) Did ya ever wonder why that website doesn't show the Google response? Name the person who responded from Google? About the only thing right about that post is Google won't allow hate messages from hate groups. Try it yourself before you dive in headfirst. Do some searchs, won't take long to discredit this story.


Now where exactly is the censorship?

[I_like_chicken]

7. hmmm I think you make a good point

I think we're all scared and worried about censorship, thats why we're quick to jump to conclusions. Ill support google's decision to ban the words as long as they do it for other canidates as well.

[MichaelHarris]

9. They're not

banning the words. Someone else posted this same kind of thing today except it was about a movie. Its a scam just to get liberals and dem's, like us all worked up. Best thing to do is when you see one of these is do some searching yourself and see what comes up. It won't take long to see that the "Google is censoring" thing is just a ploy.

[republicansarewhores]

8. Correspondence with Google Acknowledging "Unnacaptable Content"

I'd call this censosrship, especially with the other sites Google Adwords WILL allow on Adwords supportive or Neutral of Bush. The website is trying to run ads to promote traffic with a campaign they want to initiate and are not being allowed to. I'd call that censorship.

RAW

----- Original Message -----
From: <[e-mail]>
To: <[e-mail]>
Sent: Monday, May 17, 2004 11:50 AM
Subject: Your Google AdWords Approval Status


Hello Jerry,

Thank you for advertising with Google AdWords. After reviewing your
account, I have found that one or more of your ads or keywords does not
meet our guidelines. The results are outlined in the report below.


----------------------------------------------
Campaign: 'DECK OF BUSH,' Ad Group: 'Political Playing Cards'
----------------------------------------------

AD TEXT:

Political Playing Cards
The Deck of Bush - 54 Reasons
NOT to re-elect George W. Bush
www.deckofbush.com

Action taken: Suspended - Pending Revision
Issue(s): Unacceptable Content
~~~~~~~~~

AD TEXT:

Deck of Bush
www.deckofbush.com

Action taken: Suspended - Pending Revision
Issue(s): Unacceptable Content
~~~~~~~~~

SUGGESTIONS:
-> Content: At this time, Google policy does not permit the
advertisement of websites that contain "language that advocates against
an individual, group, or organization", "language that advocates
against an individual, group, or organization". As noted in our
advertising terms and conditions, we reserve the right to exercise
editorial discretion when it comes to the advertising we accept on our
site.

---------------------
Please read below for definitions of the issues I found:

Unacceptable Content: Google believes strongly in freedom of expression
and therefore offers broad access to content across the web without
censoring search results. Please note that the decisions we make
concerning advertising in no way affect the search results we deliver.

---------------------

If a keyword has been disapproved, your ad(s) will no longer be
displayed for searches on this keyword.

If an ad has been suspended, please edit it based on our suggestions,
and then save your changes to automatically resubmit the ad for review.
We're confident that these changes will improve your ad performance and
increase your return on investment.

Our goal is to help you reach your target audience and maximize your
investment. All ads are reviewed by AdWords Specialists to ensure that
our advertisers create successful, high-impact advertising in keeping
with our program's Editorial Guidelines.

For more information about our ad requirements, please read the AdWords
Editorial Guidelines at:
https://adwords.google.com/select/guidelines.html

Please feel free to email us at [e-mail] if you have
any further questions or concerns. We look forward to providing you
with the most effective advertising available.

Sincerely,

The Google AdWords Team

[MichaelHarris]

10. OK 2 things

but first I'm sorry if it seems I'm trying to discredit your post, I just don't want you to be lead down a path a gullability with a tinfoil hat. So forgive me if I seem sceptical.

Heres my two quick observations:

One, and probably the most important, what are the adwords submitted? Without knowing that we really have no debate. Maybe the adwords were offensive, we won't know until we see those words.

Now the sublime observation, See the column STATUS? See the entries Moderate and such? Now look below that, see the legend for the STATUS column? Not one entry in the legend is for the entry 'Disapproved'. There is one for 'Disabled' but not for 'Disapproved'. Doesn't that strike you as odd?

[republicansarewhores]

11. MHarris- you do not see the info in front of you.

The keywords now labeled as "disapproved" were the words Google deemed unacceptable or irrelevent to the site's ad campaign efforts. In essence, they were telling "Deck of Bush" "we will not allow you to use these keywords "George Bush", "George W. Bush", "President Bush", "Bush Cards", "Bush Decks". Because they did not want "Deck of Bush" to use these keywords (which are entirely relevent to their site, so that whenever these phrases are entered on Google their Adword Campaign link would display their site), they suspended the campaign. Now if you were the owner of the website, and wanted people to find your ad campaign, how would you feel if you were being disallowed from using keywords relevent to your site? It is preventing the site from coming up as a sponsored Google campaign (for which the website owner has to pay for click throughs), and the Google people have already stated that the campaign is unnacceptable because in their view the website contains "language that advocates against an individual, group, or organization", "language that advocates against an individual, group, or organization". As noted in our advertising terms and conditions, we reserve the right to exercise editorial discretion when it comes to the advertising we accept on our site", in this case, President Bush. Yet the owners of "Deck of Bush" ironically note that Google does not uphold the same standards of editorial discretion when it comes to other sites supportive of Bush using Google Adwords, or sex sites using Adwords to promote sites catering to underage sexual fetishes (which is a crime).

The "disapproval" of these keywords resulted in the suspension of the ad campaign being paid for.

You really don't understand the issues raised or the hypocrisy?

RAW

[MichaelHarris]

12. Oh I understand it

I just don't believe it.

SUGGESTIONS:
-> Content: At this time, Google policy does not permit the
advertisement of websites that contain "language that advocates against
an individual, group, or organization", "language that advocates
against an individual, group, or organization". As noted in our
advertising terms and conditions, we reserve the right to exercise
editorial discretion when it comes to the advertising we accept on our
site.

https://adwords.google.com/select/TranslatedTermsAndConditions.html

https://adwords.google.com/select/guidelines.html

You see the so-called Google representative quotes something from The Terms and Conditions agreement thats not there. Not that I've found yet. I'm still looking. Another thing to consider is the using of a person's name as an adword. Very recently courts have been finding AGAINST sites using famous people's names. This could very simply be a case such as that.

I still stand behind my assertion that its very odd that 'disapproved' is not defined in the legend while every other reason is. Just very odd to me.

Maybe you can find, "language that advocates
against an individual, group, or organization" in the terms, I sure can't.

[MichaelHarris]

13. using the words 'Bush Cards'

(not pro-bush)
http://www.clamormagazine.org/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=BTM&Product_Code=BUSHCARDS&Category_Code=NI

http://www.frontlist.com/detail/0974663905

http://www.chickenhawkcards.com/ (well what do ya know, the site in question ranked on the first page)

http://www.rasken.kajen.com/USD/The_US_Deck.html

http://www.buzzflash.com/premiums/cards.html

http://www.thebushadministration.com/bush/

http://www.icv2.com/articles/home/3654.html

http://www.psychedelicrepublicans.com/cards/index.asp

(my favorite, bush in womens clothes) http://www.illuminatrix.net/beetle/beetle.html


Thats the first two pages. I'm just not seeing any censorship here. The owner of that site says Google is censoring him but his store shows up on the first page? Damn the censors, damn them to hell, make me #1 or I'll scream censorship. Sorry, just not seeing it.

[republicansarewhores]

15. You do not understand the difference between a standard Google search

And a sponsored Google Adword Campaign, which shows up in the right column of a Google search page. Website owners pay to have their websites come up as a "sponsored" link on the right. The suspension of this campaign because Google does not permit the advertisement of websites that contain "language that advocates against an individual, group, or organization" has nothing to do with coming up on the first page of a regular search, it has to do with Google preventing a paid adword campaign because in their view the website advocates against an individual, group or organization, in this case Bush because it sells cards that list 54 reasons not to re-elect Bush.

RAW

[MichaelHarris]

16. so

out of all the sites I listed, all of which sell anti-bush playing cards, some the exact same cards and they show up in an 'unpaid' search easy as pie. Even this guys site shows up in a free search. But when it comes to a 'paid' search his isn't showing up. Let me ask ya, when Joe Blow types "bush cards" into the Google box he's not hittin' I wanna see only those who pay. Another little tidbit, Google would censor its 'paid' searches but not its 'free' searches? Hell if I had the choice and was this guy I'd take free, his site was like number 5 on thr so-called 'free' search.

I'm beginning to see the censorship now, everyone but this guy can put anti-bush playing cards and Google will index them. Hell yeah, your right its a damn conspiracy. Either that or he's drumming up cheap publicity.

[muriel_volestrangler]

17. So, to prove Google biased you need to find

an adword campaign that they have allowed that criticises Democrats, but is linked with keywords like 'democrat'. Do you know of one? If not, then Google is just banning negative advertising from its site. Is that really that bad?

At the moment, a Google search for 'Bush' brings up no hits, positive or negative (only some for the UK electronics brand). 'Kerry' brings up one hit for a t shirt site, which is mainly liberal ('Liberal and Proud of It', 'ABB', 'President (sic) Bush') but does also have a 'USA/Bush' shirt.

'Democratic' brings up 'George Bush You're Fired' T shirts - so Google are willing to accept ads from anti-Bush sites; they just don't want to show them to someone who's looking for information about Bush. 'Republican' (and 'Democratic') brings up uncountedvotes.com; this is for sale now, but looks as if it was a pro-Democratic, anti-Republican site about Florida votes.

This really doesn't look like bias to me. The card sellers need to stop whinging, and start using adwords like 'kerry' and 'democrat'.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. Just found another project for Soros and his gazillion bucks

Soros to do list:

Have someone take out trash
Have someone wax my car
have someone wipe my ass
have someone fuck over google, do it better and take their business

[tabasco]

4. No longer my start page.

I'm sure they'll go belly up now!

[SoCalDem]

14. I have seen Hillary cards.. are they advertised??

They are all over the Newsmax type sites..

[cap]

18. they have already cleaned out Polish protests of Bush and link to Nazis

can't find polish newspapers anymore that talk about family link to Osweicim. Try googling Bush and Osweicim and you won't see the Polish papers anymore