Google falters in its ad screening

[Commentary] In an agreement with the Justice Department, Google admits it knowingly allowed ads for prescription drugs from Canada to be targeted at US consumers. This slip of integrity – costing it $500 million in fines – raises questions about Google's culture.

For any business that carries ads, it’s easy to cross the fine line into illegal or unethical activity. A number of activists, for example, are trying to force Google to remove a smart phone app that is a virtual dogfighting game. Does the company want to promote cruelty to animals? For a company so astute in computer programs that it can locate information anywhere for consumers, Google needs to make sure it doesn't again cross that fine line. And for a company that is virtually everywhere, it’s too big to fail the integrity test.