Google concedes it profited from sale of illegal Olympic tickets
Google has become embroiled in controversy surrounding the sale of illegal Olympic ticket ads after it emerged that the firm had profited from the sale of ads promoting them.
This saw Google’s AdWords programme accept payment from illicit ticket resellers, giving them prominence in its search rankings and giving them undue credibility amongst the public.
One woman was conned out of £750 after purchasing two fake tickets.
A BBC Five Live investigation uncovered Google’s involvement in the scam, alongside the sale of cannabis and fake IDs, at which point the search giant promptly removed the offending ads.
However the company has refused to hand over any cash it has earned thus far from the ads.
A Google spokesperson said: “While Google AdWords provides a platform for companies to advertise their services, we are not responsible for, nor are we able to monitor the actions of each company."