Google revealed a significant crackdown on malicious advertising activity across its platforms, blocking more than 5.1 billion bad ads and suspending upwards of 700,000 advertiser accounts involved in policy violations and scams.
Google’s ability to detect and prevent malicious ads has been greatly enhanced by the deployment of advanced Large Language Models (LLMs), a form of artificial intelligence (AI) that efficiently identifies emerging threats and patterns of abuse with minimal data input.
These LLMs, which received over 50 upgrades in 2024 alone, enable Google to rapidly analyze and act on complex signals, distinguishing legitimate advertisers from fraudulent actors at scale.
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For instance, AI-powered models were responsible for detecting and enforcing policy violations on 97% of publisher pages targeted in enforcement actions last year, expediting site reviews and preventing harmful ads from appearing on violative content.
Massive Scale of Ad and Account Enforcement
According to the latest Ads Safety Report for 2024, Google blocked or removed approximately 5.1 billion ads that violated its advertising policies, including scams, misleading content, and impersonation attempts. The categories with the highest volume of blocked ads included:
- Misrepresentation and deceptive content: 793.1 million ads blocked.
- Unapproved pharmaceuticals and supplements: 503.1 million ads blocked.
- Financial scams and fraudulent services: 491.3 million ads blocked.
Additionally, Google suspended over 39.2 million advertiser accounts, the vast majority of which were prevented from running any ads before they could reach consumers.
Among these, more than 700,000 accounts were permanently suspended for engaging in public figure impersonation scams and other deceptive practices, resulting in a 90% reduction in reports of such scam ads.
A key aspect of Google’s enforcement strategy involves early detection of advertiser fraud through signals such as business impersonation and illegitimate payment details.
This proactive approach allows Google to stop harmful ads before they ever run, protecting users from exposure to scams and misleading content.
The company also expanded its advertiser identity verification program to cover over 200 countries and territories, with more than 90% of ads viewed by users coming from verified advertisers. This verification process increases transparency and accountability for advertisers on the platform.
To keep pace with evolving scam tactics, Google continuously updates its Ads and Publisher policies, having implemented over 30 policy changes in 2024 alone.
One notable response to the rise of AI-generated impersonation ads was the creation of a dedicated team of over 100 experts who developed countermeasures, including updates to the Misrepresentation policy that led to the suspension of offending advertisers.
Google also co-founded the Global Signal Exchange with the Global Anti-Scam Alliance to enhance cross-industry information sharing and combat scams more effectively.
Google also managed 9.1 billion restricted ads in 2024, covering sensitive categories such as financial services, gambling, healthcare, and alcohol. These ads are subject to additional legal and cultural restrictions to ensure appropriate delivery.
In a year marked by major global elections, Google expanded its election advertiser identity verification and transparency requirements to new countries, verifying over 8,900 new election advertisers and removing 10.7 million election ads from unverified accounts.
Supporting the open web, Google took action against over 1.3 billion publisher pages that violated policies, including removing ads and restricting content monetization.
Over 220,000 publisher sites faced broader enforcement actions to maintain a healthy ad-supported internet ecosystem.
Google’s 2024 Ads Safety Report highlights the critical role of cutting-edge AI technologies like Large Language Models in combating the ever-evolving landscape of malicious advertising.
By blocking billions of harmful ads, suspending millions of fraudulent accounts, and enhancing transparency through advertiser verification, Google fosters a safer and more trustworthy online advertising environment for users and legitimate businesses.
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