UPDATED 22:57 EDT / APRIL 23 2020

POLICY

Google will soon require that all advertisers reveal their identities

Google LLC announced today that all advertisers will soon be required to go through a verification process so consumers can better understand who’s behind an ad and where it came from.

Since 2018, Google has used a verification process for only political ads, which the company says has provided better transparency for voters in 30 countries. But with the proliferation of misinformation and scams circulating on the web, this process will soon become a requirement for all advertisers.

“This change will make it easier for people to understand whom the advertiser is behind the ads they see from Google and help them make more informed decisions when using our advertising controls,” said John Canfield, Google’s director of product management for ads integrity. “It will also help support the health of the digital advertising ecosystem by detecting bad actors and limiting their attempts to misrepresent themselves.”

Users in the U.S. will start seeing this change in the summer and the global rollout will follow. When consumers see an ad, it will come with location information and the identity of the company that posted the ad.

The verification process will require advertisers to provide personal information, business incorporation documents, proof of their country of origin and other information if it’s requested.

For this to come to fruition all over the world will be no small feat, with Google saying that users can expect it to take a couple of years to see verification on a global scale.

The company has reported over the years that it takes down billions of ads that break its ad policy rules, with sketchy healthcare providers and money lenders some of the worst offenders. In September last year, Google reported that it took down 3.2 billion ads, which worked out to 100 bad ads per second.

Google has already cracked down on particular industries, including healthcare. Some companies will have already been asked to complete an advanced verification process, although this new initiative will mean no one gets out of the verification process and users have more transparency.

Photo: GuillermoJM/Flickr

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