Google (GOOGL -1.43%) refused or took down an unprecedented number of bad ads in 2013. A troubling sign? Not at all, says Fool contributor Tim Beyers in the following video.
Users depends on Google to provide valuable services and a trustworthy marketplace. Bads ads erode that confidence and threaten revenue. Google removed more than 350 million of them from its system in 2013.
What are bad ads? They come in a variety of forms. Counterfeiters, for example. Or those using ads to drive users to a malware page whose only purpose is to steal information. All told, miscreants attempted 59% more scams last year than in 2012, which at least suggests that digital crime is a bigger problem today. A holiday data breach at Target speaks to the trend.
Google, thankfully, isn't sitting idle. You might even say the search king is attacking the problem with gusto, singling out the worst offenders so as to not penalize legitimate operators that may accidentally find themselves on the margins. Google says it banned just 14,000 advertisers for trying to sell counterfeit goods last year -- an 80% decline from 2012's total. Add it up, Tim says, and we've more reason to trust what Google is showing us.
Do you agree? What's your assessment Google's advertising operation? Please watch the video to get Tim's full take and then leave a comment to let us know whether you would buy, sell, or short Google stock at current prices.
