Online Advertising: Prevent Ads from being Posted on Malicious Websites

Editorial

15:40 JST, March 19, 2025

The situation is serious — the internet is flooded with disinformation, and illegal pirated content is distributed there. It is necessary to prevent corporate ads from being posted on malicious websites, where they become a source of revenue for the operators of those sites.

The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry has presented to a panel of experts draft guidelines that call on company advertisers to work toward the proper distribution of online ads. The guidelines will be officially decided as early as next month and are the first of their kind.

Companies are urged in the draft guidelines to compile a list of safe sites and sites where they do not want their ads to appear. Managers are asked to thoroughly manage the risks related to sites where ads are placed and to make company-wide efforts for that purpose.

In 2024, online ad expenditures in Japan amounted to about ¥3.6 trillion, about half of all advertising spending in the nation.

If a company’s ad is posted on a malicious site, it will not only benefit the operator of the site but also contribute to the spread of false information and pirated content, such as movies and cartoons. The social responsibility of companies can be said to be growing heavier.

When companies place ads on television, newspapers and other media, they can specify the programs and the pages on which their ads will appear.

In contrast, the online advertising systems provided by giant IT companies such as Google LLC of the United States automatically allocate ads to sites based on the number of page views and other elements, chosen from among countless sites.

It is said to be difficult for companies to completely ascertain beforehand the kinds of sites where their ads will be placed. In fact, in 2017, it came to light overseas that ads for many well-known companies were being displayed on a video-sharing site related to an international extremist organization.

In Japan, too, it has been confirmed that ads from major companies were posted on a site that disseminated false information about the U.S. presidential election in 2020.

If a company’s ad is posted on a malicious site, it could lead to the deterioration of the company’s brand image. It would have a negative effect if the malicious site and the ad of the company’s product are perceived as one and the same.

Businesses are urged to take immediate action in accordance with the guidelines.

Companies should not leave this issue to their advertising staff, but managers themselves should work to handle advertising destinations. The use of “reservation advertising,” in which ad space is purchased directly from a reliable specific media organization, can also be effective.

It is also necessary for companies not to focus solely on the number of views of the site where an ad was placed, but to check whether the site is appropriate as a place to showcase their products.

In addition to asking companies to take measures, the ministry should strengthen regulations on giant tech firms and other entities in an effort to eradicate malicious sites.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 19, 2025)