Facebook, Google accused of setting up anti-refugee ads during US election

Voters in swing states saw ads appear in their Facebook feeds and on Google websites

It looks not only Russia was buying commercials online to help influence the election last year, Facebook and Google also worked closely with conservative non-profit Secure America Now and advertising firm Harris Media on ad campaigns aiming swing state voters with anti-Muslim and anti-refugee messages, and linking Democratic candidates to terrorists, according to a report from Bloomberg.

"Unlike Russian efforts to secretly influence the 2016 election via social media, this American-led campaign was aided by direct collaboration with employees of Facebook and Google," the publication says.



In the final weeks of the 2016 election campaign, voters in swing states including Nevada and North Carolina saw ads appear in their Facebook feeds and on Google, websites touting a pair of controversial faux-tourism videos, showing France and Germany overrun by Sharia law.



 

PHOTO: SECURE AMERICA NOW

French schoolchildren were being trained to fight for the caliphate, militant fighters were celebrated at the Arc de Triomphe, and the “Mona Lisa” was covered in a burka."Under Sharia Law, you can enjoy everything the Islamic State of France has to offer, as long as you follow the rules," the narrator says.



This report comes after it was discovered that Russia bought some 3,000 ads and cut Facebook a cheque for over $100,000 during the 2016 election. It was found that Russian agents also purchased ads with Google leading up to last November.

Google responded to the allegation by saying "We have strict policies that govern where we allow Google ads to appear and we enforce these policies vigorously. When we find ads that violate these policies, we immediately disapprove and stop showing them.''

Google also noted that it is constantly evaluating its ads and that its policies are based on principles, which can evolve and change over time.

The company's ad guidelines prohibit anything that incites "hatred against, promotes discrimination of, or disparages an individual or group on the basis of their race or ethnic origin, disability, age, nationality, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or other characteristic that is associated with systemic discrimination or marginalization."