Google restricts ads in third- party tech services

One of Google’s top priorities is to maintain a healthy advertising ecosystem, and that means protecting people from misleading, inappropriate and harmful ads. The teams of engineers, policy experts, product managers and others at Google wage a daily fight against bad actors. Over the years, this commitment has made the web a better place for our users — and a worse place for those who seek to abuse advertising systems for their own gain. Just last year alone, more than 3.2 billion ads were taken down that violated their advertising policies — that’s more than 100 bad ads per second.

When an increase is seen in misleading or predatory behaviours in specific categories, additional action is exercised. For example, ads for payday loans and bail bonds services are banned, and advanced verification programs have been developed to fight fraud in areas like local locksmith services and addiction treatment centres.

A rise in misleading ad experiences stemming from third- party technical support providers has been uncovered and Google has decided to begin restricting ads in this category globally. As the fraudulent activity takes place off Google Ads, it’s increasingly difficult to separate the bad actors from the legitimate providers. That’s why in the coming months, Google will roll out a verification program to ensure that only legitimate providers of third- party tech support can use the platform to reach consumers.

However, Google says these efforts alone won’t stop all bad actors trying to game their advertising systems, but it will make it a lot harder. There’s more to do, and they’ll continue committing the resources necessary to keep the online advertising ecosystem a safe place for everyone, affirms the search giant.