Tech giant Google has removed a staggering 247.4 million ads and suspended 2.9 million advertiser accounts in India in 2023, as part of its intensified global crackdown on deceptive and harmful advertising practices. The company shared the data in its annual 2024 Ads Safety Report, highlighting a year marked by significant global elections and rising concerns over misinformation, financial scams, and misuse of artificial intelligence.
Globally, Google removed over 5.1 billion ads, restricted 9.1 billion others, and permanently suspended more than 39.2 million advertiser accounts. In India, the most common policy violations included financial services abuse, trademark infringement, misleading personalised ads, gambling, and exploitation of Google’s ad network.
Election Integrity Under Spotlight
With 2024 being a pivotal election year across several countries including India, Google expanded its identity verification requirements and transparency measures for election advertisers. Over 8,900 new election advertisers were verified worldwide, while 10.7 million election-related ads were taken down from unverified accounts.
The tech company also enforced strict transparency measures such as “paid for by” disclosures and continued updating its public election ad library to help users identify who is funding the political ads they see.
Tackling AI Scams and Publisher Violations
A key area of concern in 2023 was the surge in AI-generated scam ads impersonating public figures. In response, Google assembled a dedicated team of over 100 experts and updated its Misrepresentation policy. These steps led to the permanent suspension of more than 700,000 advertiser accounts, resulting in a 90% drop in user reports related to such scams.
Google also cracked down on publisher violations. Ads were blocked or restricted on 1.3 billion pages and enforcement actions were taken against more than 220,000 publisher sites.
Continuous Policy Upgrades
To keep up with evolving threats, Google rolled out more than 30 updates to its Ads and Publisher policies last year. The company emphasized its commitment to user safety and platform integrity, noting that its global team works “tirelessly” to protect users and advertisers alike.
