Skip to main content

Google to settle pharmacy ad investigation for $500 mln

google logo
Image used with permission by copyright holder

At a news conference this morning in Rhode Island, U.S. attorney Peter F. Neronha announced that Google has agreed to pay $500 million for improperly enabling Canadian pharmacies to use Google advertising services to target U.S. consumers with discount drug offers. According to Neronha, the settlement is the largest of its kind in U.S. history—and the figure stems partly from Google parting with revenue it earned from Canadian pharmacies participating in Google’s AdWords program. Unlike many settlements, in this case Google is actually admitting to wrongdoing: the company acknowledges that it improperly assisted Canadian pharmacies in selling drugs to U.S. citizens.

Importing prescription drugs into the U.S. is generally illegal since federal regulators cannot monitor and ensure the safety of the medications. In this case, investigators determined selected Canadian pharmacies illegally imported drugs into the United States, and did so with “Google’s knowledge and assistance.”

“This investigation is about the patently unsafe, unlawful, importation of prescription drugs by Canadian on-line pharmacies, with Google’s knowledge and assistance, into the United States, directly to U.S. consumers,” said Neronha, in a statement.. “It is about taking a significant step forward in limiting the ability of rogue on-line pharmacies from reaching U.S. consumers, by compelling Google to change its behavior.”

The investigation, spearheaded by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Rhode Island and the FDA/OCI Rhode Island Task Force found that Google knew Canadian pharmacies were advertising prescription drugs to Google users in the U.S. via AdWords as early as 2003. Moreover, while Google actively worked to prevent pharmacies in other countries (like Mexico) from targeting consumers in the United States, the company continued to allow Canadian pharmacies to advertise to U.S. consumers. Further, Google gave customer support to some Canadian pharmacies from 2003 through 2009, assisting them in placing and optimizing their advertisements and improving the page rankings of their Web sites.

In addition to admitting wrongdoing and paying $500 million, Google has also agreed to a series of compliance and reporting requirements to ensure similar things don’t happen in the future.

Editors' Recommendations

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Best color laser printers for 2024: tested and reviewed
A Brother printer on a counter in front of a brick wall.

The best color laser printers can be a great investment, saving you quite a bit of time and money. For shoppers worried about the long-term ink costs, you'll find color laser printers surprisingly affordable. Laser printers use toner, which lasts a very long time, delivering a low cost per page for monochrome documents and fast color prints. The best color laser printers offer quick performance and reliability to help keep your home office or small business productive.

If you need to scan documents for record-keeping and photo capture or want the convenience of a color copier, an all-in-one color laser printer is an essential tool for your small business or personal use. For a small added cost, you get expanded capabilities. That's why every model on this list is an all-in-one from the best printer brands.

Read more
The 5 best Wi-Fi adapters for PC in 2024
The Ugreen AC1300 Wi-Fi adapter in a desktop PC.

Whether you're designing it yourself or getting a pre-built PC, it can be easy to get a computer and realize that it doesn't have a native Wi-Fi adapter. Or, maybe it does, but you're internet speeds are getting faster, game downloads are getting bigger, you've already upgraded your router and need an adapter to match your newfound power requirements. No matter the situation, an external Wi-Fi adapter that you can add to your PC setup or even laptop setup will be worth your time. Here, we investigate the best Wi-Fi adapters for PC use. Most are incredibly affordable and just snap into a free USB port and start working.
The best Wi-Fi adapter for PC in 2024

Buy the

Read more
How to pin a website to the taskbar in Windows
A man sits, using a laptop running the Windows 11 operating system.

Windows includes many interesting tools, but if you’re like many people, more and more of your digital life is happening in your web browser and nowhere else. That being the case, you’ll want to keep your most important websites close at hand. The easiest way to access them in Windows is the Start menu and the taskbar, treating them more or less like programs in and of themselves.

Although easy overall, getting a website from your browser to your taskbar is slightly different depending on which browser you’re using.

Read more