According to Axios on Wednesday, the Harris campaign has been modifying news headlines and descriptions in Google search ads to give the impression that prominent publishers are supporting her in the presidential election.

It is not immediately obvious whether the accompanying text with actual news links is authored by the campaign or by the media outlet itself, even though the ads are marked as sponsored.

While the Trump campaign is not employing this advertising strategy, it is a tactic previously used by political campaigns and is common in commercial advertising, as noted by Google’s ad transparency center.

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A spokesperson for The Guardian commented, “While we understand the appeal of associating with The Guardian’s reputable brand, it’s crucial to ensure that such associations are used properly and with our consent. We will be contacting Google for further details regarding this practice.”

Representatives from other news organizations featured in Harris for President ads, including CNN, USA Today, and NPR, indicated that they were unaware their brands were being utilized in this manner.

Google explained that ads on its Search platform are clearly marked as “sponsored,” making them distinct from regular search results. The company added that it has long provided extra transparency for election-related ads.

Given the absence of regulations governing these practices in the digital space, the responsibility to discern deceptive practices from fair use has largely fallen on tech companies, Axios noted.

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For instance, Facebook banned the alteration of text from Instant Article news links in ads seven years ago as part of its efforts to combat misinformation and false news.

A source familiar with the Harris campaign’s advertising team stated that the campaign uses search ads with news links to offer voters more context when searching for information about the candidate.

Axios also reported that since August 3, nearly a dozen news organizations have been featured in this type of search ad by the Harris campaign.