Google and the Drug epidemic

SOURCE

I use to say jokingly, Google is God, however, this may no longer be much of a joke!

First, let me make it clear, this is not a Google bashing OP, but one that laments a decision by the powerful search engine that might do harm to combating the present state of the greatest epidemic of drug abuse in US history

Some background

Addiction recovery during the worst drug epidemic in American history is expected to generate $42 billion in business by 2020. Insurers are required to cover substance abuse treatment under the Affordable Care Act, and some stays can cost up to $60,000 a month, making every patient extremely lucrative. And the majority of addicts or their parents — 61 percent, according to Google’s internal statistics — use the internet to find help.

To explain this simply is not easy.

Apparently Google found out that its adwords product was fueling the profit making power of “woefully substandard facilities that were little more than vehicles for insurance and Medicaid fraud.” according to this article.

So what does Google do? With well intentions they cut off ALL adds that referred people to drug centers.

...and Google responded by stopping all AdWords marketing for addiction treatment, a blanket policy that froze out every treatment center — good and bad.

“I think Google made a mistake,” Camp told The Intercept. “They’re putting rehab centers out of business that are doing good work. And if they come back in a month and say, ‘We figured this out,’ the centers will say, ‘Thanks, but we’re out of business now.’”

So that’s the dilemma this powerful search engine faces. They are working with non profit groups to develop ways and means to do the right thing in this regard, but it may be backfiring where their generic search results are sending people to places who are more interested in profits than helping people.

That the company took any action at all could be seen as an encouraging sign. But when asked to comment on the fact that their search results send people to the same types of call centers they hoped to shut down with their ad ban, the enthusiasm for action diminishes. First, the Google spokesperson asked for evidence that, in fact, search results were sending folks to call centers. Then, she provided this statement.

Google says:
We are deeply committed to delivering useful and relevant search results to our users. A site’s ranking on Google Search is determined using hundreds of factors to calculate a page’s relevance to a given query, including things like PageRank, the specific words that appear on websites, the freshness of content, and your region.

In other words, you’re on your own.

SOURCE

I say "google is god" all the time.

As for the o.p. what does google gain from this? And can they be held liable for withholding possible life saving information.

Funny how the drug epidemic only became mainstream after the media picked it up. Not saying there isn't a drug epidemic, there most definitely is, but it is nothing new. Just commenting on how much the media influences us on a daily basis.

originally posted by: denybedoomed
I say "google is god" all the time.

As for the o.p. what does google gain from this? And can they be held liable for withholding possible life saving information.

Google claims their searches were leading people to too many unethical firms who were often times fraudulent

Well as flawed as Google may be, it's always had far more answers for me than God ever did.

Google was making a fortune on ad words in this that they gave up.

Apparently with 60thousand dying a year Google wants to do what’s right here.

If someone can find a hidden scam here, Id like to hear it.

I’m no fan of Google but it appears their trying to do the right thing

The article points out that they may be doing more harm than good by avoiding advertising some good options

a reply to: Willtell

Yes.

Shoot that God until it's dead, boycott Google. Duckduckgo for it or bing away the pain!