Google Tries To Silence A Castro Refugee As It Ramps Up Censorship Campaign
Shortly after we ran a review of the first Republican primary debate, Google’s ad network, called AdSense, blocked its ads from appearing on that page. It said the piece, written by veteran communications specialist Bob Maistros, violated two of Google’s content rules because it contained “dangerous or derogatory content” and “unreliable and harmful claims.”
These are impossibly vague standards, and while Google tells us we must “fix” the article in order for its ads to appear on that page, it provided no indication of what exactly violated either of these rules or what would constitute a fix. You be the judge: “Guv Ron’s Great Republican Comeback.”
It’s as though Google’s thought police read Kafka and concluded that he was writing instruction manuals instead of warnings about mindless bureaucratic authoritarianism.
For the record, here’s how Google defines these two offenses.
Dangerous or derogatory content
We do not allow content that:
- incites hatred against, promotes discrimination of, or disparages an individual or group on the basis of their race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, age, nationality, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or other characteristic that is associated with systemic discrimination or marginalization.
- harasses, intimidates, or bullies an individual or group of individuals.
- threatens or advocates for harm to oneself or others.
- relates to a current, major health crisis and contradicts authoritative, scientific consensus.
- exploits others through extortion.
Unreliable and harmful claims
We do not allow content that:
- makes claims that are demonstrably false and could significantly undermine participation or trust in an electoral or democratic process.
- promotes harmful health claims or relates to a current, major health crisis and contradicts authoritative scientific consensus.
- contradicts authoritative scientific consensus on climate change.
This isn’t the only article on our site that Google is currently demonetizing. At any given time there are a dozen or more that it’s withholding ads from. Below is a screenshot of the current list of offending articles.
We’ve noticed that the offending articles fall into three broad categories: election fraud, global warming, and anything that makes the left look bad.
Discussing Election Fraud
According to Google, publishing articles that challenge the validity of the 2020 elections is impermissible. Which makes us wonder if the company has similarly demonetized articles and videos of Democrats challenging election outcomes.
One of them, also penned by Maistros, looked at the recent Trump indictments through the lens of election fraud. “What The Trump Indictments Are Really All About (Hint: Not What You Think)”
Google sometimes goes back more than two years to pull its ads, as it just did from this December 2020 piece. “Key Trump Adviser Peter Navarro Confirms Democrat Ballot Fraud.”
Google even claims an article citing data from a research study on election peculiarities in 2020 contains “unreliable and harmful claims.” “Trump Indicted for Citing Data From Ph.D.-Vetted Study On Election Fraud”
But what really kills us is when Google slaps the “unreliable and harmful” label when we report on our own I&I/TIPP poll, which it has done before. Now it’s blocking its ads from appearing on the poll showing that Trump’s support increased after the three indictments. “Even After Three Indictments, Trump Support Rises: I&I/TIPP Poll”
How, we wonder, are we supposed to “fix” that to Google’s satisfaction? Change the results?
Exposing Climate Fraud
Google also doesn’t like anyone challenging the “consensus” on climate change. Which is why everything we write exposing the cracks in climate change “science,” the lies and scaremongering by alarmists, or the ultimate goal of the “climate change” crowd, gets demonetized.
This is simply an extension of the left’s censorship efforts during COVID, where anything that didn’t toe the corporatist, leftist line was censored, often with the aid of Big Government. We have pointed out the parallels between the lockdowns and mandates imposed under the guise of the COVID public health emergency and how the left saw these as a prelude to even more draconian (and never-ending) controls under a “climate emergency.”
To Google, such discussions are verboten.
Here are six climate-related editorials of ours that Google is currently demonetizing.
- “Climate Emergency? What A Crock, Part 2”
- “The Climate Crisis … Of 536 AD”
- “1.5 Degrees Of Climate Fabrication”
- “Are We Just One Big Storm Away Climate Lockdowns?“
- “Democrats Are Now Begging Biden To Act Like A Dictator.”
- “That Dirty Green Energy“
Making the Left Look Bad
One article on Google’s hit list shows just how far it will go to silence dissent. It’s one of our “What We’re Reading” columns, which is simply a list of links to other articles that we found of interest, but which Google says contains “dangerous or derogatory content.”
Keep in mind that this particular edition of “What We’re Reading” includes links to the BBC, Politico, Axios, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, Straight Arrow News, as well as several established conservative news outlets.
We’ve learned that Google will demonetize a page if it doesn’t like reader comments that appear there. But there are no reader comments on this page.
So what are we supposed to “fix”? The subheads? (“Election 2024,” “Hawaii Disaster,” “Biden Scandal,” “Biden’s Brain,” “Bidenomics is Working,” “Trans World,” “China,” “Misc,” and “Humor.”)
Is Google now demonetizing pages because it doesn’t like what those pages link to? We included a link to an article about detransitioners. Does Google want us to strip that? It won’t say.
But given that Google’s search algorithm uses links to determine the relevancy of search results, is this how the search giant is gaming its search results? By convincing sites not to link to certain content, lest they lose a valuable source of revenue?
Attacking A Refugee Of Castro’s Tyranny
But the most insulting and infuriating attack on us is Google’s habit of stripping ads from a regular guest contributor, Armando Simón.
Armando’s writing style is certainly not for everyone. He can be abrasive. He says what he means. But his views are valuable, not just because he’s insightful, thinks outside of every box we can imagine, and is an extremely talented and widely published author.
He also has experiences that few others – and none of the pusillanimous punks at Google – have. He grew up in Castro’s Cuba. In other words, he has first-hand knowledge of where leftist ideas will take the country – into totalitarian hellscapes. The fact that Google is actively trying to use its technological dominance to import this kind of tyranny into the U.S. is frightening.
The latest of Armando’s to land on Google’s hit list is, ironically enough, one that explores how it is the left has become just as close-minded and ideologically rigid as those who refused to look through Galileo’s telescope for fear of seeing a truth they didn’t want to believe. “Today’s Leftists Would Refuse To Look Through Galileo’s Telescope”
Google says that one contains both “unreliable and harmful claims” and dangerous or “derogatory content.”
An Invitation To Our Readers
We invite our readers to look at all the articles currently on Google’s hit list (linked to above). If you can find an example of something that violates the content rules as Google describes them, please let us know.
Otherwise, tell Google what it can do with its “content rules.” Any way you can. Early and often. And always remember that David beat Goliath with a slingshot.
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