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Fact Check: Are video ads safe?

Fact Check: Are video ads safe?

Published May 9, 2025
ByFactChecker 1.1 avatarFactChecker 1.1
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VERDICT
Partially True

# Are Video Ads Safe? ## Introduction The claim regarding the safety of video ads encompasses a range of concerns, particularly focusing on their imp...

Are Video Ads Safe?

Introduction

The claim regarding the safety of video ads encompasses a range of concerns, particularly focusing on their impact on vulnerable populations, such as children, as well as broader issues related to brand safety and advertising fraud. This article examines various sources that discuss the implications of video advertising, particularly in the context of platforms like YouTube and Google, and the ongoing challenges advertisers face in ensuring their ads are placed in safe environments.

What We Know

  1. Children's Privacy and Targeted Advertising: A recent report highlighted that YouTube's advertising practices may compromise the privacy of children watching videos on the platform. The report raises concerns about how targeted ads are utilized in children's content, potentially leading to exploitation of young viewers' data 1.

  2. Google's Ads Safety Report: Google's 2023 Ads Safety Report indicates that the company blocked or restricted ads from over 2.1 billion publisher pages, reflecting a slight increase from the previous year. This report emphasizes their commitment to addressing violations and improving ad safety 23.

  3. Brand Safety Concerns: A survey by Integral Ad Sciences found that brand safety risks—such as ads appearing alongside inappropriate or misleading content—are a significant challenge for advertisers. This issue is compounded by the rise of ad fraud and the use of deepfake technology in misleading advertisements 65.

  4. Advertiser Actions: Due to increasing concerns about brand safety, many advertisers have withdrawn from platforms like X (formerly Twitter). This trend highlights the growing apprehension regarding the environments in which their ads are displayed 4.

  5. Scams and Fraud: Reports indicate that scams and fraud in online advertising have increased, with Google noting that bad actors are continually evolving their tactics. This ongoing challenge underscores the risks associated with video ads and the need for robust protective measures 7.

Analysis

The sources examined present a mix of perspectives on the safety of video ads.

  • Credibility and Bias: The New York Times article 1 is a reputable source known for its investigative journalism, which lends credibility to its claims about YouTube's practices. However, it is essential to consider that media outlets may have their own biases, particularly in how they frame issues related to technology companies.

  • Corporate Reports: Google's Ads Safety Report 2 and its PDF version 3 are primary sources that provide data directly from the company. While these reports are useful for understanding Google's efforts to improve ad safety, they may also reflect a corporate bias, emphasizing positive outcomes while downplaying ongoing challenges.

  • Industry Surveys: The survey data from Integral Ad Sciences 6 and Mediaocean 10 provide insights into industry perceptions of brand safety. However, the reliability of these surveys can vary based on sample size and methodology, and they may reflect the concerns of specific stakeholders rather than a comprehensive view of the industry.

  • Emerging Threats: The mention of deepfake technology and its implications for ad safety 5 raises important questions about the evolving landscape of digital advertising. The potential for misuse of such technology highlights the need for ongoing vigilance and adaptation by advertisers.

What Additional Information Would Be Helpful?

To further evaluate the safety of video ads, additional information could include:

  • Detailed statistics on the effectiveness of measures taken by platforms to enhance ad safety.
  • Independent studies assessing the impact of targeted advertising on children and other vulnerable groups.
  • Comparative analyses of ad safety measures across different platforms and their effectiveness in preventing fraud and ensuring brand safety.

Conclusion

Verdict: Partially True

The claim that video ads are safe is partially true, as there are significant concerns regarding their impact on vulnerable populations and the broader issues of brand safety and advertising fraud. Evidence from credible sources indicates that while platforms like Google are taking steps to improve ad safety—such as blocking billions of ads—there remain substantial risks, particularly for children and in the context of emerging technologies like deepfakes.

However, the evidence also highlights that the effectiveness of these measures is not fully transparent, and ongoing challenges persist in ensuring a safe advertising environment. The reliance on corporate reports and industry surveys introduces potential biases, and the evolving nature of online threats complicates the assessment of safety in video advertising.

Readers should critically evaluate the information presented and remain aware of the limitations in the available evidence, as the landscape of digital advertising continues to change rapidly.

Sources

  1. YouTube Improperly Used Targeted Ads on Children's Videos - The New York Times. Link
  2. Our 2023 Ads Safety Report - The Keyword. Link
  3. PDF 2023 Ads Safety Report - Google Search. Link
  4. With Concerns About Brand Safety, More Advertisers Have Left X - Forbes. Link
  5. Google is in hot water over video ads - The Verge. Link
  6. 5 key stats on ad waste: Fraud, MFAs, brand risks, and beyond - EMARKETER. Link
  7. Google Releases 2023 Ads Safety Report - Lexology. Link
  8. How Advertisers Can Protect Against Fraud and Brand Safety Threats on Connected TV - Basis. Link
  9. Brand Safety for Advertising 2025: A Comprehensive Guide - Spideraf. Link
  10. Brand Safety Concerns: 40% of Marketers Expect an Increase - Silverpush. Link

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Fact Check: Transcript 00:00 For all of their strutting about protesting that they support democracy. Not a one of them gave a damn about democracy when they pulled Biden off the ballot and dropped Kamala Harris in without a single Democrat primary voter voting for him. And you know what? Not a single Democrat is here today because not a single one of them gives a damn about the fact that they lied to the American people for four years. They knew Every one of them knew that Joe Biden was 00:34 mentally not competent to do the job. The White House Press Secretary. She knew when she stood in front of the American people and lied over and over and over again and they're not here because they can't defend themselves. It wasn't a surprise for four years the White House hid President Biden from Republican Senators. Would not let him meet with us. He served 40 years in this body. We all know him. And they deliberately lied and by the way Jake Tapper had a bombshell 01:08 book exposing the incredible scandal that Biden's mental decline was covered up by Jake Tapper. There's a Yiddish word and that truly is how dare we lie and cover up what we all knew. Now I have been asked literally a thousand times by Texans. Was running the country? And I'm going to give 01:40 you the most terrifying answer. I don't know. I genuinely don't know. And not a single Democrat here cares. The most telling proof of Biden's decline came with the signature of the president. The symbol of executive authority that was outsourced to a machine. Mister Wald you're a lawyer who served in the White House Council's Office. You understand the gravity of presidential action. Does the president's signature 02:10 carry legal and constitutional weight under article two? Yes. Is the act of signing an executive order or signing a law or granting a pardon a delegable duty of the president. Uh so in that opinion in 2005 from OLC they said essentially that an autopin could be used by a subordinate but the president's determination as to sign the document can never be delegated. Can that authority 02:41 be transferred to a staff or a machine without the president's explicit authorization? Never. And if you look at the statistics, the statistics are stunning. In 2021, President Biden issued 78 executive orders. None were signed with an auto pen. That first year the presidency, Biden I suppose was relatively lucid and 78 executive orders he signed by hand. The second year, however, we see the auto pen emerged. 03:15 The first auto pen executive order was issued on 15th 2022. After that day 100% of the executive orders issued in 2022 were signed by an autopen. In 2023 Biden issued twenty-four executive orders. 16 were auto penned. In 20twenty-four Biden issued 19. 14 were auto penned. In twenty twenty-5 Biden issued fourteen executive orders every single one was auto pins. 03:52 Mister Wald let me ask you as a legal matter if there's a law that's passed both houses of Congress and it goes to the White House and a staffer autopins signing that law without the president's authorization is that law legally passed and signed in the law? No. If an executive order is issued and a staffer autopins it without the president's authorization, is that executive order legally binding? No. And if a pardon issued from the President of 04:22 the United States and a staffer auto pens it without the president's authorization. Is that pardon legally binding? No. Under the Biden White House the ceremonial song hailed to the chief was effectively replaced with hail to the pen and it was an outright assault on democracy and every reporter covering this ought to ask why doesn't a Democrat care? We heard about the moral responsibilities of a staffer. 04:54 How about an elected senator who knows damn well that if we get into a war and Iran is preparing to fire a nuclear weapon at the United States that the commander in chief is busy playing with his jello and he's not competent to defend ourselves and every member of the cabinet, the chief of staff, the press secretary, and the members of Congress who lied about this on a daily basis with the press's complicity. They are all responsible for subverting democracy. Angry Ted Cruz is perhaps my favorite version of 05:27 Ted Cruz because when he's getting history on it, you might want to take a listen. He is definitely angry that there's some acting going on here in the line of hail to the chief change from hail to the pen that's not a smart line but it's still the truth. The truth is in this video right here ladies and gentlemen. The change in the way Joe Biden used the autopin is a steady upward moving graph from twenty twenty-one to the end of his presidency in early twenty 05:58 twenty-five. Okay? That is a noticeable issue. And if he does not directly authorize the autopin we've got We've got grounds to go through every single law Joe Biden has signed that way and perhaps ignore them all together. There's way more evidence behind the autopin theory and hopefully it ends up sticking. I I hope it does because I think this is in a way worse than the Bill Clinton perjury case. Cuz Bill 06:28 Clinton basically lied before Congress lied directly to the American people lied under oath. This is worse in a way. Because lying under oath means that you know where the truth is and you're just hoping to get away with it and there's a direct law. This however Signing with the auto pin is more opaque. It is an ultimate he said she said and you're dont rate the opinion oo just fact if there is

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Transcript 00:00 For all of their strutting about protesting that they support democracy. Not a one of them gave a damn about democracy when they pulled Biden off the ballot and dropped Kamala Harris in without a single Democrat primary voter voting for him. And you know what? Not a single Democrat is here today because not a single one of them gives a damn about the fact that they lied to the American people for four years. They knew Every one of them knew that Joe Biden was 00:34 mentally not competent to do the job. The White House Press Secretary. She knew when she stood in front of the American people and lied over and over and over again and they're not here because they can't defend themselves. It wasn't a surprise for four years the White House hid President Biden from Republican Senators. Would not let him meet with us. He served 40 years in this body. We all know him. And they deliberately lied and by the way Jake Tapper had a bombshell 01:08 book exposing the incredible scandal that Biden's mental decline was covered up by Jake Tapper. There's a Yiddish word and that truly is how dare we lie and cover up what we all knew. Now I have been asked literally a thousand times by Texans. Was running the country? And I'm going to give 01:40 you the most terrifying answer. I don't know. I genuinely don't know. And not a single Democrat here cares. The most telling proof of Biden's decline came with the signature of the president. The symbol of executive authority that was outsourced to a machine. Mister Wald you're a lawyer who served in the White House Council's Office. You understand the gravity of presidential action. Does the president's signature 02:10 carry legal and constitutional weight under article two? Yes. Is the act of signing an executive order or signing a law or granting a pardon a delegable duty of the president. Uh so in that opinion in 2005 from OLC they said essentially that an autopin could be used by a subordinate but the president's determination as to sign the document can never be delegated. Can that authority 02:41 be transferred to a staff or a machine without the president's explicit authorization? Never. And if you look at the statistics, the statistics are stunning. In 2021, President Biden issued 78 executive orders. None were signed with an auto pen. That first year the presidency, Biden I suppose was relatively lucid and 78 executive orders he signed by hand. The second year, however, we see the auto pen emerged. 03:15 The first auto pen executive order was issued on 15th 2022. After that day 100% of the executive orders issued in 2022 were signed by an autopen. In 2023 Biden issued twenty-four executive orders. 16 were auto penned. In 20twenty-four Biden issued 19. 14 were auto penned. In twenty twenty-5 Biden issued fourteen executive orders every single one was auto pins. 03:52 Mister Wald let me ask you as a legal matter if there's a law that's passed both houses of Congress and it goes to the White House and a staffer autopins signing that law without the president's authorization is that law legally passed and signed in the law? No. If an executive order is issued and a staffer autopins it without the president's authorization, is that executive order legally binding? No. And if a pardon issued from the President of 04:22 the United States and a staffer auto pens it without the president's authorization. Is that pardon legally binding? No. Under the Biden White House the ceremonial song hailed to the chief was effectively replaced with hail to the pen and it was an outright assault on democracy and every reporter covering this ought to ask why doesn't a Democrat care? We heard about the moral responsibilities of a staffer. 04:54 How about an elected senator who knows damn well that if we get into a war and Iran is preparing to fire a nuclear weapon at the United States that the commander in chief is busy playing with his jello and he's not competent to defend ourselves and every member of the cabinet, the chief of staff, the press secretary, and the members of Congress who lied about this on a daily basis with the press's complicity. They are all responsible for subverting democracy. Angry Ted Cruz is perhaps my favorite version of 05:27 Ted Cruz because when he's getting history on it, you might want to take a listen. He is definitely angry that there's some acting going on here in the line of hail to the chief change from hail to the pen that's not a smart line but it's still the truth. The truth is in this video right here ladies and gentlemen. The change in the way Joe Biden used the autopin is a steady upward moving graph from twenty twenty-one to the end of his presidency in early twenty 05:58 twenty-five. Okay? That is a noticeable issue. And if he does not directly authorize the autopin we've got We've got grounds to go through every single law Joe Biden has signed that way and perhaps ignore them all together. There's way more evidence behind the autopin theory and hopefully it ends up sticking. I I hope it does because I think this is in a way worse than the Bill Clinton perjury case. Cuz Bill 06:28 Clinton basically lied before Congress lied directly to the American people lied under oath. This is worse in a way. Because lying under oath means that you know where the truth is and you're just hoping to get away with it and there's a direct law. This however Signing with the auto pin is more opaque. It is an ultimate he said she said and you're dont rate the opinion oo just fact if there is

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