Thread: Could an Internet Service Provider be held liable for promoting a

product they know is illegal and harmful? ? I have a bee in my bonnet about Yahoo Answers.

Next to most questions about HIV testing, Yahoo Answers inserts "sponsored links" (i.e paid advertisements) to websites selling fake "home HIV tests".

These tests are not FDA approved, and it is illegal to offer them for sale in the US and every other country of the world that I am aware of. The sites are an obvious scam.

Selling unapproved and fake medical devices is a crime in many countries, and is certainly actionable under tort law for the undoubted harm they cause.

I have warned Yahoo about these paid advertisements repeatedly, but they appear have taken no action to remove them.

As their sales agent, could Yahoo be sued for knowingly promoting (for payment) an illegal and harmful product?

It's not Yahoo's responsibility to do testing or research on each of their ads. I'm guessing "no", but I don't know anything.

Go order one, and sue the seller. I dunno.

I don't think they can be, but if they held any moral fiber they would refuse to be associated with selling any adds that are tied to or promotes something that a person coluld be harmed from.

It seems more and more these days people are just after the dollar.