1 / 55

Internet Money Laundering: New Funding for Old Crimes

Internet Money Laundering: New Funding for Old Crimes. By Thomas D. Sydnor II tsydnor@actonline.org. My Research. A new paper will examine how internet advertising can fund or promote crimes associated with money laundering, including: Sales of Illegal, Unprescribed Controlled Drugs,

amethyst-whitley
Download Presentation

Internet Money Laundering: New Funding for Old Crimes

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Internet Money Laundering:New Funding for Old Crimes By Thomas D. Sydnor II tsydnor@actonline.org

  2. My Research • A new paper will examine how internet advertising can fund or promote crimes associated with money laundering, including: • Sales of Illegal, Unprescribed Controlled Drugs, • Prostitution and Human Trafficking. • This presentation shows how streaming-video ads for illegal drugs and prostitution can cause US advertisers to fund domestic and international criminal enterprises.

  3. Why YouTube? • Previously, little research has examined online video streaming and advertising • 83% of Americans who watch online video, watch YouTube–3x more viewers than the next competitor • YouTube “video ads” illustrate the broader problem of lawful advertising funding illegal websites.

  4. YouTube “Video Ads” • YouTube is a free, youth-focused hosting service for short, third-party videos. • YouTube hosts many 2-10 minute “video ads” promoting commercial products or services. • Google uses these YouTube video ads as platforms to display paid advertisements. • Google then splits some advertising revenues generated from a video ad with its uploader.

  5. How YouTube Monetizes Video Ads YouTube can monetize video ads promoting illegal products or services in six ways: • Prequel ads • Popup ads • Display ads • Streaming ads • Featured videos • Music sales

  6. “Prequel” Ads

  7. “Prequel” Political Ads

  8. How Internet Political Ads Can Fund Prostitution & Worse

  9. “Popup” ads

  10. Display and streaming ads, featured videos and music sales

  11. ILLEGAL ACTIVITY ON YOUTUBE

  12. YouTube and Drug-Trafficking Ads YouTube hosts hundreds of monetized video ads for Internet sites selling controlled or prescription drugs without a prescription. Google has admittedly known since 2003 that such sites violate the US Controlled Substances Act and the Food and Drug Act. Nevertheless, Google and YouTube aggressively monetize these illegal-drug site video ads.

  13. Sched. II: Morphine

  14. Sched. II: Hydrocodone

  15. Sched. II: Oxycodone

  16. Sched. II: Percocet

  17. Sched. II: Codeine

  18. Sched. II: Ritalin & Adderall

  19. Sched. II & III: Lots of Narcotics

  20. Sched. III: Vicodin

  21. Schedule III: Lots of steroids

  22. Sched. IV: Darvocet

  23. Sched. IV: Valium

  24. Sched. I: Cathinone “Bath Salts”

  25. Sched. I: Magic Mushrooms

  26. Potential Search Manipulation Get Oxycodone Online Video Ad GONE from Google Search results

  27. YouTube and Global Sex-Trafficking Google’s “Adult Sexual Services” policies show that Google knows that sex traffickers use “code words” to signal the selling of sex. Google thus prohibits ads not only for “prostitution and other adult sexual services,” but also for “escort services,” “call girls,” “VIP… companionship,” “discrete… companionship,” “intimate companionship,” and “erotic massage.” NOT ENFORCED

  28. U.S. Escort and Call-Girl Services: Arizona CENSORED

  29. U.S. Escort and Call-Girl Services: Arizona

  30. U.S. Escort and Call-Girl Services: Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts

  31. U.S. Escort and Call-Girl Services: Nevada, New Mexico, South Dakota

  32. U.S. Escort and Call-Girl Services: Tennessee, Utah, Washington

  33. U.S. Escort and Call-Girl Services: Los Angeles, California

  34. International Sex Trafficking: Canada & Central/South America

  35. International Sex Trafficking: Western &Eastern Europe

  36. International Sex Trafficking: Middle East & Africa

  37. International Sex Trafficking: Russia & Central Asia

  38. International Sex Trafficking: China & North Asia

  39. International Sex Trafficking: Southeast Asia

  40. India – A Case Study • Recently, the brutal, public rape and murder of a female medical student exposed the abuse of women in India. • India has a serious prostitution problem, but has recently strengthened its domestic laws. • But Google and YouTube are profitably promoting what India is trying to deter….

  41. 72,800 Results

  42. Video Ads Like This

  43. And This…Are Rampant and Monetized

  44. Dominican Republic Sex Tourism

  45. Internet Ad-Laundering: Severe, Systemic Consequences Leading US advertisers are unwittingly funding foreign criminal syndicates. Law-abiding Internet ad-network operators cannot compete. Illegal advertisers and websites can act as “shills” who increase advertising costs and decrease profit-sharing for the law-abiding.

  46. WHAT AG’S CAN DO

  47. The 2011 Non-Prosecution Agreement Google admittedly helped sites sell illegal, no-prescription controlled drugs in the US from 2003 through 2009. US Attorney: “‘Larry Page knew what was going on…. This was a corporate decision to engage in this conduct.’” Google “agreed not to contest” liability for a $500M forfeiture; $ 290 M went to Rhode Island—which used the settlement to save its police pension fund. Has Google fulfilled its duties under the NPA?

  48. Comparing no-Rx Oxycodone Ads

More Related