Google launches Ads Transparency Centre, as tech platform reveals it removed 5.2bn violative ads in 2022
From this week, Google users will be able to access key information about ads and advertisers across Search, YouTube and Display, through Google’s new Ads Transparency Centre.
The new feature builds on the My Ad Centre, launched globally last year to give users greater controls over the ads they are served on Search, YouTube and Discover.
The Google Ads Transparency centre is also available via the ads themselves
Commencing global rollout from March 29, the Ads Transparency Centre is described by the tech giant as “a searchable hub of all ads served from verified advertisers”. The information accessible in the hub includes a catalogue of ads each advertiser has run, which ads were shown in a certain region, as well as the last date an ad ran, and the format of the ad.
This week Google has also released its 2022 ads safety report, recording that the platform last year removed more than 5.2 billion ads that violated its policies, an increase of 2 billion from the previous year.
Commenting on both announcements, managing director of Sales at Google Australia and New Zealand, Rhys Williams, said:
“Providing a safe and trustworthy ad experience to Australians, and helping businesses and publishers grow, has a fundamental connection to Google’s mission. We continue to invest in policy, product and enforcement efforts that combat abuse across our platforms and bring more transparency to the ad ecosystem. A healthy and sustainable ad-supported internet means all Australians can access and benefit from quality information.”
The tech company also restricted over 4.3 billion ads and suspended more than 6.7 million advertiser accounts. In addition, over 1.5 billion publisher pages were blocked or restricted from serving ads, while site-level enforcement action was taken against 143,000 publisher sites.
Google said the policies were enforced by a combination off human reviews and “automated systems powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning”.
The report acknowledged that fraudulent activity continues to rise on digital platforms, and Google’s platforms has increasingly been targeted by “bad actors” who “increasingly operate with a greater scale and with more sophistication”.
In 2022, Google expanded its financial services program, which requires advertisers to demonstrate authorisation from local regulators to promote their products and services, having launched the program in 11 countries including Australia, and with plans to expand further.
Over the course of the year, the tech business removed 142 million advertisements for violating misrepresentation policy and 198 million advertisements for violating financial services polices.
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