“Well, if the platform repeatedly serves scam ads that target vulnerable people then they need to ask why they’re using [Google’s] AdSense.
“These ads are designed by a human being who deliberately and maliciously has made up that I’ve either been beaten up or killed, and that is particularly uncomfortable.
“This is exactly the problem they had with Facebook. They take it down but then another comes up. Why am I responsible for policing this?
“I know this is an advertising platform but publishers need to take responsibility for what they publish, including what they’re paid to publish.
“One of the problems with these companies is they talk about the difficulty of technologically policing adverts. My answer is that if you can’t police it technologically, have someone vet it. It may cost billions but that’s what being a responsible ethical company involves.
“Westminster is very focused on fake news and the impact on democracy – but what it is nowhere near as passionate about is the impact of scams and these types of adverts on vulnerable people. I’ve met people who’ve had their lives destroyed by these adverts.
“When I met a senior member of the government about this, their response was: ‘If you can sue more of them that would help as we can’t do much’.”
Mail Online said the responsibility lay with Google allowing the advert into its programmatic advertising system, saying the tech company’s vetting system appears to have been duped:
Google said the adverts were placed through one of its programmatic products, which allows third parties to place ads on publishers’ websites in real time.
A spokesman said: “We require all ads and partners on the exchange to abide by our policies; and we’ve suspended the scammers’ accounts. We remain committed to fighting scammers working to evade our systems and are constantly updating our technology to stop new threats as they emerge.”
