‘Google shopping ads fuel illegal ivory trade’
6 March 2013 7:28 AM IST
A conservation group claims that Google has something in common with illicit ivory traders in China and Thailand: It says the Internet search giant is helping fuel a dramatic surge in ivory demand in Asia that is killing African elephants at record levels.
The Environmental Investigation Agency, a conservation advocacy group, said in a statement on Tuesday that there are some 10,000 ads on Google Japan's shopping site that promote the sale of ivory.
About 80 per cent of the ads are for ‘hanko,’ small wooden stamps widely used in Japan to affix signature seals to official documents. The rest are carvings and other small objects.
Hankos are used for everything from renting a house to opening a bank account. The stamps are legal and typically inlaid with ivory lettering.
The EIA said Japan's hanko sales are a ‘major demand driver for elephant ivory (and) have contributed to the wide-scale resumption of elephant poaching across Africa.’ Google said in an emailed response to The Associated Press, ‘Ads for products obtained from endangered or threatened species are not allowed on Google. As soon as we detect ads that violate advertising policies, we remove them.’
The Environmental Investigation Agency, a conservation advocacy group, said in a statement on Tuesday that there are some 10,000 ads on Google Japan's shopping site that promote the sale of ivory.
About 80 per cent of the ads are for ‘hanko,’ small wooden stamps widely used in Japan to affix signature seals to official documents. The rest are carvings and other small objects.
Hankos are used for everything from renting a house to opening a bank account. The stamps are legal and typically inlaid with ivory lettering.
The EIA said Japan's hanko sales are a ‘major demand driver for elephant ivory (and) have contributed to the wide-scale resumption of elephant poaching across Africa.’ Google said in an emailed response to The Associated Press, ‘Ads for products obtained from endangered or threatened species are not allowed on Google. As soon as we detect ads that violate advertising policies, we remove them.’
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