Google and YouTube toughened their rules on Thursday against content and advertising denying climate change.

They now prohibit the monetization of any content "contradicting the well-established scientific consensus around the existence and causes" of the phenomenon.

Deceptive and deceptive advertisements are henceforth prohibited and videographers of the climate-skeptic movement will also no longer be able to collect advertising revenue.

“Advertisers don't want their ads to appear alongside this kind of content,” Google said.

“And creators don't want ads that make those claims on their pages or videos.

"

Facebook more timid on climate skepticism

The regulation applies to messages claiming that global warming is a lie or a scam, those denying that the climate is warming in the long run, and those denying that CO2 emissions and human activity contribute to this reality.

Google already restricts advertising based on certain sensitive subjects (videos on firearms, tragic events) but the denial of climate change was not one of them until now.

Facebook is also making efforts to curb fake news on the subject but has never put a ban in place, repeating over and over that it does not wish to become an arbiter of the truth.

It favors the highlighting of indisputable scientific facts via a section devoted to the environment.

@ Google's important decision today to demonetize climate misinformation could turn the tide on the climate denial economy.

- Avaaz (@Avaaz) October 7, 2021

An important decision before COP26

In January 2020, the American NGO Avaaz accused YouTube of directing millions of users to climate-skeptic videos.

Web platforms are regularly accused of favoring content that elicits strong emotional reactions to generate more traffic to be converted into advertising revenue.

YouTube had told Avaaz that it was doing everything it could to reduce the number of problematic content, specifying that it would not censor those that did not break its rules.

"Google's decision to demonetize climate disinformation could turn the economics of climate skepticism around," Fadi Quran, a director of Avaaz, responded in a statement.

"Three weeks before the critical Glasgow summit [COP26], misleading content to undermine it is on the rise," added Fadi Quran.

“Other social networks must follow in Google's footsteps.

"

High-Tech

Climate: Google wants to help its users make greener choices on a daily basis

Planet

Climate: Babies born in 2020 will experience seven times more heat waves than their grandparents

  • Fake news

  • Advertising

  • Planet

  • Google

  • Youtube

  • Climate change

  • Global warming