Sponsored terrorism links by Times of India

One of the common monetization strategies used by content providers on internet is what is knows as "contextual advertising". The phrase is self-explanatory enough, it refers to a technology where ads are served based on the context of the page (Google's "Adsense for content" is the most popular product to use this technology). It works best when the content of the page is somewhat suggestive of the commercial intent of the user; for example someone reading a review of digital cameras is most likely interested in buying one. But it blows on your face when this contextual ads start appearing against sensitive topics; such as accidents, wars or terrorism.

Now here is a good example of when not to use contextual advertising. Today, I was reading an article about Pune blast in Times of India's website. Just when I was about to leave the page, my eyes went to the ads on the right hand side of the page - First there were ads on Jobs in Pune, Houses in Pune, Brides/ Grooms in Pune. Ok, so now that there is a terrorist attack in Pune, it suddenly becomes very lucrative to buy properties there? And wait, does that make you want to marry a Pune boy/ girl even more?

Now this was not the worse part. As I scrolled down the page, I came across a section called "Sponsored Links" (another term for ads). The sponsored links were - Terrorism, Terrorism and Islam, Counter Terrorism BS, Counterterrorism, FT Hood Terrorism.

Wait, it doesn't end here. If you follow any of the links, you'll see ads on life insurance, "is Jesus really God" (don't ask) and even an ad on how to plan your second wedding if you are divorced or widowed.

Thanks for being so sensitive TOI. This is exactly what we expect from our leading national newspaper. Here are the screen-shots: