Australian Watchdog Sues Google Over Deceptive Search Ads

Watchdog takes Google to court from News.com reports that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is taking Google to court for allegedly displaying misleading and deceptive sponsored results.

The commision says that in 2005, the Trading Post site ran had ads on Google for “Kloster Ford” and “Charlestown Toyota” that directed traffic to the Trading Post site. Kloster Ford and Charlestown Toyota are both competitors of the Trading Post. Allowing these links meant Google engaged in “misleading and deceptive conduct,” the commission says, in a statement.

The ACCC also states that Google has failed to “adequately distinguish sponsored links from ‘organic’ search results.”

Rob Shilkin, of Google Australia, said “Google Australia believes that these claims are without merit and we will defend against them vigorously.”