Daily Skiff

Google has stopped serving advertisements to a college-gossip Web site that has drawn the ire of student governments nationwide, a Google spokesman said.

Google spokesman Daniel Rubin said in an e-mail that Google pulled advertisements from JuicyCampus.com because the Web site violated Google's terms of use.

Google runs AdSense, a program that analyzes a Web site's content and places relevant advertisements for other companies inside an "Ads by Google" frame, according to the AdSense Web site.

Matt Ivester, JuicyCampus' founder, was unable to be reached for comment Monday about Google's move. Ivester said in an interview conducted before Google pulled the advertisements that actions such as student governments asking advertisers to remove their ads from JuicyCampus wouldn't affect business adversely, citing the growing number of advertisers eager to work with the Web site.

"I don't see this as a particular threat to our business model," Ivester said. "We've had an overall positive response from our users and advertisers."

Ivester said the Communications Decency Act of 1996 gives platform providers like JuicyCampus legal protection from being tied to what users are posting on their sites.

"It's the personal responsibility of our users to create the community they want," Ivester said.

He also said blocking or removing content on the Web site was not a realistic goal.

"From a practicality standpoint, there's no filter we can put in place," Ivester said. "There's no filter to block speech. As far as manually removing posts, there are so many that it's impractical."

Ivester said he urges visitors to JuicyCampus to take it for what it's worth.

"It's a gossip Web site," Ivester said. "Don't make it into a bigger deal than it is."

Student body treasurer Jacob Barnes, who co-authored a Student Government Association resolution trying to pull ad support from JuicyCampus, said there is still work to be done.

"We're very pleased that Google stopped providing ads," Barnes said.

He said that while it was a big first step, SGA intends to notify any and all companies advertising on JuicyCampus, asking them to cease relations with the Web site.

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