Google will resume accepting ads from addiction treatment centers following rampant abuse
Google plans to resume accepting advertisements from alcohol and drug addiction treatment centers following a lengthy period of review, Reuters reports. Google originally stripped rehab-related search terms of advertising on its AdWords platform last September, following an investigation from The Verge detailing how misleading ads from disreputable treatment centers were gaming Google’s algorithms to boost incoming patient numbers.
Google says ads will now be vetted directly by Portland, Oregon-based LegitScript, which monitors online pharmacies for the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy to prevent abuse and unauthorized selling of prescription medications. According to Reuters, the new rules apply to in-person rehab facilities,...