Due to a recent investigation into the Yahoo search engine, Yahoo has expanded the list of products and services not permitted to advertise on its search engine. IDG News service recently did their own investigation into the search engine by attempting to search for products and services that violate Yahoo’s search ad editorial guidelines. The investigation turned up several ads that according to Yahoo should have been rejected.
One of these searches was for “Pyramid Schemes,” which are illegal. The search triggered many ads for legitimate MLM companies. Pyramid Schemes are illegal operations in which the majority of sales are made to distributors instead of actual paying customers. While MLM’s are sometimes accused of running this type of operation, most Multilevel Marketing Companies are reputable and have worked hard to disassociate themselves with the term “Pyramid Scheme.”
It seems a bit odd that any MLM company would want their company name or an ad for their company to appear anywhere on a page with this search term when the industry has worked so hard to move away from that image. While competition amongst these companies is tough, it only hurts the MLM companies to associate themselves with the term “Pyramid Scheme.”
Yahoo has since fixed this error and now the roster of Multi Level Marketing company ads triggered by the term “pyramid scheme” keyword is gone and has been replaced with ads for books and publications about the pyramid schemes.
Yahoo released an emailed statement explaining that, “We evaluate our marketplace and advertising policies — including unacceptable content — on an ongoing basis. We also continually refine our review processes and procedures in an effort to serve the most appropriate and relevant ads to our users.” While the statement stopped short of any type of apology to the MLM companies or Yahoo users, Yahoo does admit that part of its screening process is done by actual humans, who might have possibly made an oversight.
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