Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc. have profited from digital advertisements for illegal, counterfeit COVID-19 vaccine cards, despite being a violation of its corporate policy, Media Matters reported.
The investigative outlet found the website’s “Shopping” feature showcased counterfeit COVID-19 cards as the top search result for “blank vaccination card,” “blank CDC card,” “CDC card,” and “vaccination card.”
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The results are labeled “sponsored,” indicating that Google and Alphabet are “compensated for clicks” and earn income when users click on those search results, said Media Matters.
The counterfeit paper products -- selling for as little as $1 -- encourage buyers to fill out the blank cards stamped with logos from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services.
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Despite Google’s online policy banning all content “that seeks to capitalize on the pandemic, or lacks reasonable sensitivity towards this global health crisis,” the fake vaccination card results are often the top sponsored result for these searches.
“The existence of easily accessible counterfeit vaccination cards for sale is uniquely dangerous and should not be promoted for profit by major tech companies,” said researcher Olivia Little.
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