Are you saying google does not apply editorial oversight on ads they run? To the best of my knowledge google does restrict who can advertise with them, and their decisions are final and not subject to judicial oversight.

In that context, what google chooses to allow and what they ban is newsworthy. In this specific case, even moreso, since the ads violate google’s own rules.

Don't fall into the trap of "everything not mandatory is prohibited".

Google doesn't really want scam ads. It doesn't make a lot of sense to penalize them for removing some of them just because their process isn't perfect; removing them doesn't have to be banned.

But if you make not removing them mandatory, you're replacing the justice system with a private corporation, which is pretty crazy. If the police accuse you of a crime, they have to prove it to a judge and jury. You can appeal to a higher court. Google doesn't have that. And if you add liability for not removing something, they're going to err on the side of removing things they ought not to, with no recourse for the victims. Competitor wants you out of the search results? Report it to Google and you're out, because they get a billion complaints and removing them by default is safer than getting prosecuted for missing a real one.

The correct solution is to let Google remove things that are bad without punishing them for not being perfect -- maybe even err on the side of imposing (civil) liability for removing things they shouldn't instead of not removing things they should -- and rely on the criminal justice system for going after the criminals.

Ad networks apply editorial oversight with respect to their own published policies* I am not aware of any ad network policies that approach the subject of "what is true" or "what is propaganda". They also apply restrictions to what they are legally liable for which is fairly narrow today (I.e. child porn or harmful substances to minors, etc)

Forcing ad networks to be the main arbiters of what is true vs. propaganda is a huge step towards an Orwellian society.

* some policies related to the concept of truth are one dealing with scams or fraudsters. Even then, it's only the scope of "does this advertiser actually provide the service they claim to be" or not, which is way more objective than anything related to war, religion, or the middle east.