US lawmakers have asked tech giant Google to fix abortion searches that misled users to “fake anti-abortion clinics”.
According to USA Today, some Democratic members of Congress have asked Alphabet Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sundar Pichai to address concerns about Google search and Maps results for abortion information, including “fake anti-abortion clinics” .
Democratic Senators Mark Warner and Alyssa Slotkin in a letter titled “particularly concerning,” a report by the non-profit organization, the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH).
The CCDH report found 37% of Google Maps results and 11% of Google searches for “abortion clinic near me” and “abortion pill” in states with “trigger laws” take effect automatically or through prompt state action. If Roe v Wade were to reversed, “counterfeit anti-abortion clinics”.
These clinics, also called “crisis pregnancy centers” or “pregnancy resource centers,” do not provide abortions and “try to turn women away from certain health decisions,” the legislators wrote.
The CCDH report also found that 28% of Google ads displayed at the top of search results were for anti-abortion clinics, the report said.
An ad for a Mississippi clinic appeared to offer free abortion consultations, but upon viewing its website, the CCDH said it found that the clinic does not perform abortions or provide referrals for the procedure.
“Across our products, we work to make high quality information easily accessible, especially on important health topics,” the tech giant was quoted as saying in a statement to USA News.
The company said, “Any organization that intends to advertise on Google to people seeking information about abortion services must be certified and must display a disclosure within the ad that clearly states that they offer abortion or No.”
The European Commission last year launched an investigation to investigate whether the world’s largest search and video provider was giving itself an unfair advantage in digital advertising by restricting rivals and advertisers’ access to user data.
