Researchers from Stanford and Carnegie Mellon found that two-thirds of advertisers unknowingly bought ads on misinformation sites between 2019 and 2021. Despite this, ad executives seem unconcerned, with only 41% believing consumers react negatively to such placements. The study, published in Nature, analyzed 9 million ads from over 42,500 advertisers on 5,400 websites. Programmatic advertising often results in ads appearing on brand-unsafe content, including misinformation. Concerns about ad dollars funding misinformation have lessened, with more focus now on clickbait sites. The findings suggest limited consequences for companies advertising on misinformation websites.
