Russia is deploying a “major disinformation campaign” against the West to worsen the effect of coronavirus, an EU document leaked on Wednesday revealed.
And the researchers say Google’s advertising will pay them millions to do so.
A new study through the Global Disinformation Network has revealed that 1,400 fake news spreading coronavirus conspiracy theories in Europe have been funded with the $76 million song through advertising generation corporations, with more than 60% of Google’s profits coming from.
Many of them are connected to the Kremlin or funded directly through the Russian government.
Advertisements from many well-known brands, such as Amazon Prime, Burger King, Mercedes Benz, Samsung, Spotify and Volvo, were shown to readers throughout stories that added the expansion of the conspiracy theory that the U.S. Military brought the coronavirus to Wuhan.
Companies like Google, Criteo and Taboola allow brands to automate how their classified ads appear online, promising to position and target classified ads in a user’s previous online activity.
According to EUvsDisinfo, an organization that monitors Russian misinformation, there have been about 80 examples of fake news related to coronavirus in recent weeks.
A prominent example in the GDI report comes from NewsFront, a pro-Kremlin disdata operating from illegally annexed Crimea, which publishes fake data in 8 languages.
A recent article published in its Spanish edition claimed that the United States blamed Russia for the coronavirus outbreak. Next to the story was an Amnesty International ad placed through Google’s advertising platform.
Researchers say their findings show that Google does not adhere to the spirit of the EU’s smart code of practice on misinformation, a commitment to self-regulation that the company has subscribed to, to prevent misinformation from generating profits through counterfeiting. News.
“Brands are being abandoned by advertising generation corporations. These corporations are not doing enough not to fund incorrect information in the EU and beyond,” Clare Melford, GDI’s executive director, said in a statement.
Google did not respond to a request for comment on the report’s findings.
Studies also revealed that Kremlin-backed media such as RT and Sputnik were among those transmitting conspiracy theories about coronaviruses, and the leaked EU report appears to verify this claim.
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According to a nine-page EU internal document published through Reuters, “a primary disinformation crusade is being carried out through Russian state media and pro-Kremlin media related to COVID-19.”
“The primary goal of incorrect information from the Kremlin is to exacerbate the crisis of public aptitude in Western countries, in line with the Kremlin’s broader strategy of subverting European societies,” the report says.
Coverage: Record photo dated 01/03/20 of a user with an iPhone that displays the app for the Google Chrome search engine. PHOTO: Andrew Matthews / PA Wire URN: 50186249 (Press Association AP Images)