Healthcare products maker Johnson & Johnson and automaker General Motors Co. are among the latest companies to halt advertising on YouTube after concerns that Google is not doing enough to ensure brands’ ads are not appearing near terrorist content. The uproar comes after a recent investigation by Britain’s The Times showed how ordinary ads appeared alongside user-uploaded YouTube videos that promote hate and extremism. The British government, along with local advertisers, suspended ad purchases following the report. Last week, U.S. companies began following suit, with giants such as AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and rental car firm Enterprise Holdings Inc. announcing that they will halt or reduce deals with Google, which owns YouTube. Google said it doesn’t comment on individual customers, but that the search engine giant has begun an “extensive review” of its advertising policies and will make changes to give brands more control over where their ads appear.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 27, 2017 18:22 UTC