London - Google is profiting from adverts which appear alongside vile terror videos on YouTube, it emerged on Monday.
The Mail has found adverts for reputable companies on videos of al-Qaeda fanatics calling for jihad.
The companies, which include Vodafone, TalkTalk and iTunes, have little control over where their products feature on the hugely popular film-sharing website.
This is because advertising on YouTube – which is owned by Google – is driven by the internet browsing habits of each individual, rather than being deliberately placed on each web page by companies.
One major advertiser said Google “have got a lot to answer for”.
A source said: “It is ridiculous that they would put our advertisements on videos such as these. We don’t have a choice in this at all.
“We don’t want to be associated with these videos in any way whatsoever. We do not want to be associated with someone blowing someone else’s head up or someone spreading evil and hate.”
Vodafone added: “We were unaware of this situation and are understandably concerned. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.”
Google – which has the informal motto ‘Don’t be evil’ – posted a UK turnover of £3-billion last year.
On Monday the Mail reported how thousands of al-Qaeda videos urging British Muslims to maim and kill can be found on YouTube within seconds. This is despite claims by the website that it has “community guidelines” that prohibit “dangerous of illegal activities such as bomb making, hate speech and incitement to commit violent acts” and accepts only “religious” films.
In one clip, Anwar al-Awlaki, the dead ideological leader of al-Qaeda, describes how “Islam is spread by the sword”.
When the Mail watched this video, an advert for Flight, a Hollywood film about a plane crash starring Denzel Washington, popped up during al-Awlaki’s hate-filled rant. This advert is sponsored by iTunes, which is owned by technology giant Apple. The same video also featured an advert for Ronseal, the British wood stain manufacturer.
When the video was played for a second time, an advert for Vodafone appeared on the screen.
A separate video featuring the extremist raging about the “battle for hearts and minds” features an advert for an Islamic dating website and another for Vodafone.
Elsewhere on the site, a hate-filled sermon by extremist cleric Abu Qatada features an advert for HomeAway, which rents out upmarket holiday villas.
YouTube currently has more than 100 videos of Anjem Choudary, the hate preacher whose banned extremist group radicalised Woolwich terrorist Michael Adebolajo.
In his bile-filled rants he urges Muslims to wage jihad while in others he tells his fanatics to take advantage of the welfare state. In one, Choudary says: “There is a place for violence in Islam. There is a place for jihad in Islam”.
The video features an advert for the videogame Call Of Duty.
Graham Foulkes, whose 22-year-old son David was killed in the 7/7 bombings, said: “If Google and YouTube are actually claiming this is free speech and are making a profit out of it then that is outrageous.
“I find it hard to understand how Google and YouTube can justify allowing these hate messages. Any right-minded person can see this is wrong.
“I’m very much in favour of free speech, but preaching hatred and violence should not be allowed.
“It’s wrong. It’s not the purpose of the internet. It’s not the purpose of free speech. Such behaviour should be prosecuted.”
Earlier this month Google was accused of ‘doing evil’ by avoiding British taxes, after paying just £7.3-million in corporation tax, despite a turnover of £3-billion last year. A YouTube spokesperson said: “We take the safety of our users very seriously and have a zero tolerance policy towards content that incites violence.
“Our community guidelines prohibit such content and our review teams respond to flagged videos around the clock, routinely removing videos that contain hate speech or incitement to commit violent acts.” The spokesperson added: “We also have stringent guidelines regarding advertising on the site, and we may choose to stop placing ads against any video or channel if we determine that the content is not appropriate for our advertising partners.” - Daily Mail