Is Google Still Displaying Illegal Pharmacy Ads?

In 2009, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began an investigation into whether Google was profiting from rogue pharmacy ads displayed alongside reputable search results.

Google was accused of displaying ads from “Canadian” pharmacy companies, which were actually rogue pharmacies selling questionable products illegally. Though rivals Yahoo and Microsoft had banned Canadian pharmacy ads in 2004, Google continued to run them through 2010. Eventually, Google was fined $500 million, which was just a small fraction of the $30 billion the company made in ad revenue in 2010. Google justified its displaying of Canadian pharmacy ads, since feds rarely prosecute individuals for importing small quantities of drugs into the US from Canada, even though the practice is technically illegal.

Google Back in the News Recently

In June of 2013, Jim Hood, Mississippi’s Attorney General, complained that Google is again posting ads for illegal pharmacies through its search engine and is allowing content related to these rogue pharmacies on YouTube. The National Association of Attorneys General complained that YouTube hosts videos on how to buy drugs from rogue online pharmacies without prescriptions.

When users post content on YouTube, they agree to allow Google to post ads on the video’s pages, with Google splitting page view ad revenue with the users. But Hood and other attorneys general say Google isn’t paying enough attention to YouTube content and is profiting from less-than-reputable videos. Google responded, saying, “In the last two years, we’ve removed more than 3 million ads for illegal pharmacies, and we routinely remove videos that are flagged for violating YouTube’s Guidelines regarding dangerous or illegal content.”

The Problem with Illegal Pharmacy Ads

Ordering drugs online from pharmacies in other countries (including those that claim to be Canadian) is illegal even with a prescription, and for drugs that aren’t available in the United States. The primary reason is that ordering from rogue overseas pharmacies greatly increases the customer’s risk for receiving counterfeit drugs.

While illegal pharmacies are most associated with lifestyle drugs, like Viagra and Propecia, in 2011, a Canadian was sentenced to 33 months in a federal prison in the United States for selling counterfeit cancer drugs online.

Google’s 2011 fine set a precedent: search engines can be fined if they profit from illegal activity, and in 2007, Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo paid a combined $31.5 million to settle a civil action brought by the Department of Justice alleging they accepted ads from illegal gambling websites.

Tip-Offs That a Pharmacy Is Operating Illegally

After Google cracked down on illegal pharmacy ads the first time, most of those rogue pharmacies invested what they would have spent on ads into using “black hat” search engine optimization to boost their sites to the top of search engine rankings and carried on as usual.

Pharmacy sites claiming to be from Canada are often located elsewhere, so beware of any site plastered with Canadian flags or playing up an association with Canada. Pharmacies that claim to sell prescription drugs without requiring a prescription are illegal and often ship counterfeit products. Basically, any website offering a service that makes you ask, “Can they do that?” should be regarded as suspect. Ridiculously low prices on medications are another tip-off that the pharmacy is operating illegally and selling fake drugs.

Staying Safe

Google is continually upgrading its search engine to try to stop black-hat search engine optimization techniques. But the truth is that this effort is analogous to an arms race, because when Google changes its algorithm, rogue operators figure out ways to game the system again.

To keep yourself safe, stick with online providers based in the United States with an actual street address and phone number. Don’t buy from “pharmacies” that claim not to require a prescription; only buy from pharmacies with US-licensed pharmacists, and check out the site’s BBB rating.

When you stick with trusted sources like eDrugstore.com, you can be sure you’re buying from a US source that works with US-licensed pharmacists and only ships genuine, FDA-approved drugs. Risking your health (and criminal sanctions) by buying from a questionable online source is simply not worth the few dollars you might save in a best case scenario.

eDrugstore.com has been satisfying customers for over 15 years with the products they need at competitive prices, shipped quickly and confidentially through the US Post Office and trusted couriers like FedEx. There’s simply no reason to go elsewhere.

Photo Credits: sixninepixels / freedigitalphotos.net, Marin / freedigitalphotos.net