Google has announced it is suspending adverts related to Ireland’s upcoming referendum on abortion, amid concerns about the influence online platforms are having on elections.
The temporary ban comes into force on Thursday, May 10 and will affect adverts on both Google and YouTube, Google confirmed in an email. It will remain in place until after the referendum.
A spokesperson said in an emailed statement, “Following our update around election integrity efforts globally, we have decided to pause all ads related to the Irish referendum on the Eighth Amendment.”
The move follows Facebook’s announcement on Tuesday that it would no longer accept ads from outside the country that seek to influence the referendum.
Irish people will vote on May 25 on whether to repeal the eighth amendment to the Irish constitution, which ensures the “right to life of the unborn,” making abortion illegal in the Republic.
“It is very clear that the government, much of the establishment media, and corporate Ireland have determined that anything to secure a Yes vote must be done,” their statement read.
It continued, “Online was the only platform available to the No campaign to speak to voters directly. That platform is now being undermined in order to prevent the public from hearing the message of one side.”
Many technology companies, including Facebook and Google, have offices in Dublin, leading them to closely scrutinise how their platforms are being used over the election period.
She did, however, tell Independent.ie at the time that such concerns were “largely theoretical.”
