Google Says No To Essay Writing Companies

In a move that’s likely to cause consternation among students around the world, search engine giant Google has announced that as of June, it will ban ads for essay writing services.   There has long been contention between colleges and the essay services about custom essay being sold online to students, who then turn the work in as their own.   Although announced in the U.K., a Google spokesperson was quoted as saying that the ban was expected to be global. The company has notified advertisers that it will no longer accepts adverts for “academic paper-writing services and the sale of pre-written essays, theses, and dissertations,” putting them up there with prostitution, drugs, tobacco and weapons on the company’s ban list.   Many essay writing companies are up in arms about the move, who see it as affecting what they consider a legitimate business. One company estimated that around 80% of its business came from Google ads, and insisted that his company explained to buyers that essays purchased should not be passed off as the student’s own work.   With last-minute custom essays costing hundreds, even thousands, of dollars, essay writing is big business, and custom essays often escape the plagiarism software routinely used by universities these days. It’s been argued that purchased essays devalue degrees, and Professor Drummond Bone of Universities UK said,   “Making life harder for these ‘essay mills’ is a step in the right direction.”   However, according to one essay writing company, it’s possible that even with a blanket ban, Google might still generate links to rogue essay writing companies.