Mississippi Attorney General Targets Google in Illicit Drug Ad Crackdown
Jim Hood, Attorney General for the state of Mississippi and head of the National Association of Attorneys General tells Bloomberg that he is stepping up demands from Google that they demonstrate their commitment to block fake online pharmacies.
Bloomberg reports that Attorney General Jim Hood has demanded information from Google to determine if the company is profiting from native search engine results for illicit drug advertisements and fake online pharmacies.
Hood told Bloomberg on July 30 that he is demanding proof that Google is not profiting from illegal content: “What they tell you in a meeting sounds good but then you can go online and check it out and it’s not true.”
Hood plans to issue a civil investigative demand to Google for documentation on the screening and placement process for ads and videos. In the past year, he has pushed Google to take responsibility for fake online pharmacy search results that frequently turn up in online searches for medication.
In December of last year, the Washington Post reported that Attorney General Hood was among the signers on a letter to Google legal council concerning Google’s continued listing of fake online pharmacies in their search results. The Post reports that the letter resulted in several meetings between the Attorneys General and legal representatives from Google.
Hear Mississippi Attorney General Hood speak about illicit drug ads at the 2014 Interchange.
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In June, Attorney General Hood’s website reported that AG Hood was elected head of the National Association of Attorneys General on a platform of fighting digital crime and protecting Intellectual property rights. Attorney General Hood described to the group his commitment to enforcing the law, “It is an honor to be chosen for this position by my peers from around the country. I look forward to working with my colleagues on many issues of public concern and most especially those focusing on intellectual property theft,” Attorney General Hood said. “It is a pleasure to serve at both the state and national levels.”
Attorney General Hood will be providing a keynote speech at this year’s Interchange. The Partnership for Safe Medicines Interchange 2014 happens September 18 at the Newseum in Washington D.C. Register today!