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Google Flouts Own Ban?

Posted: 07/01/09

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So-called ‘Academic Aids’, or custom essay-writing services, were banned from Google's paid advertising slots last year in May, when Google announced they would not allow such companies to use their Adwords service. But some 18 months later, it seems that Google has done little to enforce their ban, continuing to enjoy the substantial revenue that fierce competition amongst such companies generates.

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Google Adwords allows people to pay to place their advert at the top of the search engines - the results appear in the highlighted 'Sponsored Link' box at the top and also in a panel on the right hand side under 'Sponsored Links'. If a user clicks on the advertisement, the advertiser pays a fee.

But custom essay-writing companies (or “Academic Aids”, as Google has labeled them) are banned, together with a whole range of other questionable products, services and activities, such as websites that promote hacking, escort services, aids to pass drug tests and adult content sites.

Google’s policy states:

"Advertising is not permitted for academic aids. This includes 'test-taking' services in which someone takes an exam for someone else and academic paper-writing services providing custom/pre-written theses, dissertations, etc".
(https://adwords.google.com/support/bin/static.py?page=guidelines.cs&topic=9271&subtopic=9279)

The BBC reported on this story in May 2007 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6680457.stm)

Essay companies provide students with the exact answer to their essay question, which they say is to be used as a guide. However, such companies have attracted a great deal of criticism from universities, who discourage or ban their use, claiming that they encourage cheating. Tim Leadbeater, Director of Learning and Teaching at Leeds Trinity&All Saints, confronted Jennifer Wiss of a custom essay company during the Andrew and Georgey Breakfast Show (BBC Radio Leeds) earlier this year, slamming such companies as ‘parasites’. (http://www.leedstrinity.ac.uk/news_events/news/Pages/Tocheatornottocheat%E2%80%93thatistheessayquestion.aspx)

Since Google announced its ban in May 2007, the adverts have continued to run. Type 'Essay Writing' into Google and a whole range of essay writing companies appear, including

* UK Essays&Dissertations - 1st Class & 2:1 Essays Advice & Tutorials by Experts - EssayAcademy

* Writing Is Our Profession - US & UK PhD & Master’s Writers Will Resolve All Your Writing Problems - GPA Labs

* 100's of Essay Writers - Post your Writing needs - Get fair quotes from essay Writers - BizReef

What’s more, some advertisers found ways around the policy – by promoting their sites under the guise of ‘Essay Advice’ or ‘Essay Editing Services’ – and it seems that no action has been taken against these ‘Academic Aids’ either by Google, even though a quick visit to the websites concerned shows they sell custom essays.

Nottingham-based Academic Answers, which provides a number of academic services including essay critiquing and free "How to Write…" guides, has repeatedly contacted Google about this over the past 18 months, but their emails only got a standard response:

"While I can completely understand your frustration, and the relevance and necessity of your concern, I would like to let you know of the following things: Both the screen-shots that you have sent, have been escalated to the concerned team and please be assured that the necessary action will be taken. I greatly appreciate your efforts to make Google, a safe and a clean place for advertising".

Following this response, received a month ago, the adverts remain.

Why has Google been so slow to police these adverts?

One possible reason is that the vast amount of advertiser competition on keywords such as ‘essay writing’ (https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal) means the revenues that Google enjoy from such adverts are too good to pass on.

Google enjoyed a great deal of press coverage in May 2007 as its caring, squeaky clean image was bolstered by its stance against 'Academic Aids' - but, Google has seemingly done nothing to actually enforce this policy.

One freelance expert programmer we spoke to stated:

“Filters could easily be put in place to block these types of advertisements – or Google could require any advert that uses certain keywords, such as 'Essay', to be pre-approved by its team. This could be implemented in less than a day, and probably a couple of hours, given that Google has some of the best programmers in the world on its team”

Conveniently, Google has not taken this opportunity.

Academic Answers was formed in 2003 with the sole aim of improving the UK’s academic standards. Founder Barclay Littlewood insists

"We will not assist anyone that leads us to believe that they will try and defraud the academic system by passing off our copyrighted work as their own, either in whole or in part. To all our customers we therefore ask you do not attempt to cheat us and yourselves and only to order if you do so with honest intention and in good faith."

(http://www.academicanswers.co.uk/message.htm, http://www.academicanswers.co.uk/about.htm)

Contact:

Ms Jennifer Wiss
Marketing and PR Manager
Academic Answers Limited
Direct Line: 01623 499989

or

Karl Brown
PR Coordinator
Academic Answers Limited
01623 491010

Company: Academic Answers
Contact Email: click to reveal e-mail
Contact Phone: 01623 491010