A Wired investigation has uncovered that Google’s Display & Video 360 ad platform allows marketers to target users based on sensitive personal information like chronic illnesses and employment in national security roles, going against the company’s own policies.
A recent investigation by Wired has revealed alarming privacy and security issues within Google’s vast digital advertising ecosystem. The investigation found that Google’s Display & Video 360 (DV360) platform, used by some of the world’s largest brands, provides advertisers with the ability to target users based on highly sensitive personal data, including health conditions, financial status, and even employment in critical national security roles. This practice directly violates Google’s own stated policies prohibiting ad targeting based on such information.
These findings come from an analysis of an internal spreadsheet obtained from a U.S.-based data broker by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL). The spreadsheet exposes hundreds, if not thousands, of restricted or sensitive “audience segments” hosted on the DV360 platform. These segments, generated by Google’s customers, contain data pointing to countless mobile devices and online user profiles, enabling advertisers to target specific audiences with ease.
Among the most alarming revelations is the targeting of individuals based on health conditions, such as chronic pain, menopause, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, arthritis, high cholesterol, and hypertension. The data also allows for the identification of households experiencing financial hardship, including those undergoing bankruptcy or burdened by long-term debt.
Equally concerning are the segments targeting government employees working in sensitive national security positions and individuals employed by companies that manufacture and export defense-related technologies. Experts warn that this information could be exploited by foreign adversaries for intelligence purposes or to potentially blackmail and compromise key personnel.
Google maintains that its policies prohibit the use of audience segments based on sensitive information and claims to take action when non-compliant segments are detected. However, the investigation raises serious questions about the effectiveness of Google’s self-regulation and the company’s ability to enforce its own policies.
The ease with which the ICCL obtained access to this data further highlights the potential for abuse by malicious actors. By simply creating a website for a fake “data analytics” firm, researchers were able to gain access to these sensitive audience segments with minimal verification, underscoring the vulnerability of the system.
Google remains embroiled in an antitrust trial focused on the company’s stranglehold over the ad tech business.
Read more at Wired here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
