Digital advertising platforms run by Google, Amazon.com Inc and other tech companies will funnel at least US$25mil (RM106.95mil) to websites spreading misinformation about Covid-19 this year, according to a study released on July 8.
Google’s platforms will provide US$19mil (RM81.28mil), or US$3 (RM13) out of every US$4 (RM17) that the misinformation sites get in ad revenue. OpenX, a smaller digital ad distributor, handles about 10% of the money, while Amazon’s technology delivers roughly US$1.7mil (RM7.27mil) or 7%, of the digital marketing spending these sites will receive, according to a research group called the Global Disinformation Index.