For-profit bail bond services have been proven to make most of their money on the backs of people of color and low-income communities. The offers they provide often leave customers in crippling debt when they’re already in vulnerable positions. But Google just announced a new policy that will ban ads for these services from all of its platforms.
Google removed more than three billion ads last year if found to be harmful or misleading. And this new policy continues that work.
“We made this decision based on our commitment to protect our users from deceptive or harmful products, but the issue of bail bond reform has drawn support from a wide range of groups and organizations who have shared their work and perspectives with us,” said David Graff, Google’s Senior Director of Global Product Policy. Read more in a blog posted by Graff here.
This move is one that demonstrates how Google is continuing to work to keep the advertising space ethical and show consciousness of social issues. In 2016 the company passed a similar ban on payday lenders.
“At a time when corporations are finally being held accountable for their roles in enabling mass incarceration, it is encouraging to see a company as powerful as Google cutting ties with businesses that profit from incarcerating poor Black and brown people…” says Rashad Robinson, Executive Director of Color of Change, in a statement to ARS Technica. “Google’s announcement comes after months of advocacy by our organizations. We hope this decision encourages other corporations to take proactive steps to sever ties with the for-profit bail industry and end the incentives that fuel mass incarceration.”
The policy change will take effect this July.
