Google has set aside a cool half-billion dollars to cover any penalties related to AdWords postings for illegal drugs. The search giant reportedly is nearing a settlement with the DoJ in a criminal investigation into allegations it made hundreds of millions of dollars by accepting ads from online pharmacies that violate U.S. laws. Google disclosed in a recent regulatory filing that it had set aside $500 million to potentially resolve a case with the Justice Department. A payment of that size would be among the highest penalties ever paid in disputes with the U.S. government.
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Rogue Pharmacy Ads Could Cost Google Half a Billion
Posted by: Rob Spiegel May 13, 2011 12:36 PMGoogle has set aside a cool half-billion dollars to cover any penalties related to AdWords postings for illegal drugs. The search giant reportedly is nearing a settlement with the DoJ in a criminal investigation into allegations it made hundreds of millions of dollars by accepting ads from online pharmacies that violate U.S. laws. Google disclosed in a recent regulatory filing that it had set aside $500 million to potentially resolve a case with the Justice Department. A payment of that size would be among the highest penalties ever paid in disputes with the U.S. government.