You can stop clicking on ads on Google and YouTube
Stopping disinformation ads on Google and YouTube is an urgent step to counter defamation and media complicity.
Why it matters
Google is allowing, through search network and YouTube ads, the spread of disinformation and defamation campaigns targeting those who denounce the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip:
- Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestine, is being defamed through sponsored ads that falsely accuse her of antisemitism or support for Hamas.
- Other ads falsely claim that the United Nations is blocking humanitarian aid distribution, blaming UNRWA and other agencies for the Israeli-imposed famine.
- Ads targeting those who search for information about Hind Rajab, the 6-year-old girl killed in a car by hundreds of bullets fired by a tank that knew her position and her harmlessness, smear her name to spread misleading narratives.
These campaigns not only spread lies but actively undermine the efforts of people trying to inform themselves and take action against the genocide.
However, there is a simple and direct way to push Google to end this complicity: a large share of its profits comes from search and YouTube advertising. If more and more people stop clicking on these ads, advertisers will see less value in the platform, and Google will be forced to reconsider which content it accepts and promotes.
What you can do
- Recognize Google ads:
- On Google Search: they appear at the top or bottom of the page with the label “Ad” or “Sponsored” next to the URL.
- On YouTube: they appear before or during videos, or as banners near the video.
- On websites (Display Network): they are banners or boxes labeled “Google Ads” or “Ads by Google”, visible on desktop and mobile.
- Don’t click on any Google or YouTube ad, even by chance: every skipped click decreases the platform's economic value for advertisers and weakens investment in these tools.
- Report any ad spreading disinformation or propaganda using the “Not relevant” or “Report ad” option.
- Share this action: encourage friends and communities not to click on any Google ads.
- Write to Google: use public forms or contact channels to demand transparency and stricter policies against propaganda on Gaza.
More Initiatives
You can share updates about Gaza on social media
Every post keeps Gaza visible. Amplify voices, counter silence, and make truth harder to ignore.
You can support the production of the movie "Land of Shadows"
Help fund an urgent documentary that exposes the violence against Palestinian communities.
You can avoid Israeli products and services
Don’t fund genocide with your purchases.