Yahoo Fails to Uphold Promise to Ban Ads for Essay...

Feed

Image 1 of 4

Author: Linda Smith

Started: May 3, 2008, 9:17:04 pm

Target: Yahoo

Category: Education

Supporters:

Goal:

100,000

Goal Progress:

Status

Active

In February, 2008, Yahoo YSM (Yahoo Search Marketing) pledged to block all essay writing services and academic paper-writing sites from placing ads in Yahoo's paid advertising system (the small, text-based ads that appear at the top and at the right-hand side of Yahoo's regular search results).

Yahoo YSM Guidelines:
http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/ysm/sps/start/editorial/unacceptable_content.html

As one can see at the URL above, Yahoo YSM's superficial guidelines currently state:

"We will not accept ads that promote academic paper-writing services and the sale of pre-written essays, thesis and dissertations."

Yahoo is insulting the intelligence of teachers and professors all over the world.

Despite its 3-month-old "ban," Yahoo YSM still accepts dirty money from the owners of term paper sites to place TERM PAPER ADS at the top of Yahoo's search results!

Now, with the introduction of Yahoo's new "Publisher Network," term paper ads will begin to appear on perhaps MILLIONS of private Web sites (including legitimate, academic/school sites). YSM's term paper ads will appear on countless, legitimate, academic/school sites that are meant to be havens for LEGITIMATE EDUCATION. Yahoo will thereby potentially corrupt millions of students and, possibly, the entire educational system! The owners of the legitimate, academic/school sites will have absolutely no way to block YSM's paid term paper ads from appearing on their own sites!

Over the last 3 months, I have personally emailed and spoken--five (5) times--to several different "content specialists" at YSM, as well as a "YSM Supervisor" during my last phone call. Despite numerous assurances from these people that Yahoo YSM will remove the violating ads shortly, they have failed to do so again and again. Proof? Here is the resulting URL from a search for "essays" at yahoo.com:

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0oGkjVo1RxIHIQAYAxXNyoA?p=essays&y=Search&fr=sfp&ei=ISO-8859-1

As one can clearly see, Yahoo YSM is still--AFTER THREE MONTHS and MANY NOTIFICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC--knowingly publishing the EXACT SAME ADS for the exact same term paper mills and essay writing services.

On information and belief, Yahoo YSM enacted its "ban on essay writing services" in order to follow in the footsteps of Google AdWords and to "publicly appease" the countless, outraged teachers and professors around the world who had submitted complaints to Yahoo.

Yahoo has delayed and repeatedly dragged its feet in actually removing the ads for essay writing services. Why? That's obvious. After THREE MONTHS, Yahoo has no legitimate excuse for not complying with its own guidelines!

In short, Yahoo either can't or won't uphold its own policies. That's pathetic. Teachers and professors should BOYCOTT YAHOO due to this academic outrage, unless Yahoo immediately removes all ads for essay writing service--for GOOD. The same ban must apply to essay writing sites that use the fake cover of being an "editing" site.

Please support this YAHOO BOYCOTT and help to preserve the integrity of the worldwide educational system! Thank you.

(Please note that you will need to click the verification link in a confirmation email in order for your signature/vote to be counted.)