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How Google Ads Are Funding Disinformation Campaigns in India


A Bellingcat investigation found 44 websites running ads by Google alongside debunked statements inciting hate in India.

For example, 16 Muslim men were arrested in 2021 under sedition and national security charges after a video was shared with the claim that they raised slogans praising Pakistan – with whom India has a fractious relationship – at a religious celebration in the city of Ujjain. Bellingcat asked Jaskirat Singh Bawa, Global Head of Editorial Operations at Logically Facts, an IFCN-accredited fact-checking organisation, about the role of media in the disinformation ecosystem in India. Arielle Garcia, Director of Intelligence at digital advertising watchdog Check My Ads, told Bellingcat that it made sense to expect platforms like Google, which are being paid to monetise content, to do due diligence on their customers.

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