Google further boosts online safety, takes down over 5.5 billion malicious ads in 2023

With its commitment to create and maintain a safer internet experience for people all over the world, Google recently reported its boosted and AI-enhanced efforts to protect everyone against malicious and misleading online ads.

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The biggest of Google’s key wins was the removal and blocking of over 5.5 billion “bad” ads in 2023, up from 2022 and an initiative that was optimized by the power of generative AI. Gen AI was able to make safety enforcement easier by providing a better way to train already-existing AI systems in detecting malicious ads before internet users ever see them in their browsing.

The other steps Google took were:

• Limited unfamiliar advertisers: In November 2023, Google launched its new Limited Ads Serving policy, which is designed to protect users by limiting the reach of “unfamiliar” advertisers. It implemented a “get-to-know-you” period for advertisers who don’t yet have an established track record of good behavior, during which impressions for their ads might be limited in certain circumstances—such as when there is an unclear relationship between the advertiser and a brand they are referencing.
• Quickly adapted to new trends: Toward the end of 2023 and into 2024, Google saw a targeted campaign of ads featuring the likeness of public figures to scam users, often through the use of deepfakes. The company immediately created a dedicated team to respond, pinpointing patterns in the bad actors’ behavior, training its automated enforcement models to detect similar ads, and beginning to remove them at scale. Google also updated their misrepresentation policy to more quickly suspend the accounts of bad actors.
• Prevented the use of synthetic content in election ads: In 2023, Google was the first tech company to launch a new disclosure requirement for election ads containing synthetic content. It also continued to enforce its policies against misleading claims in election-related ads.
• Launched the Ads Transparency Center: Last year, Google also launched the Ads Transparency Center, a searchable hub of all ads from verified advertisers, which helps people quickly and easily learn more about the ads they see on Search, YouTube, and Display.
• Added more customization and optimization features: The companyalso updated its suitability controls to make it simpler and quicker for advertisers to exclude topics that they wish to avoid across YouTube and Display inventory. In total, Google made 31 updates to its Ads and Publisher policies.

Heading into the rest of 2024, Google rides the momentum of its 2023 results and the developments in the field of AI to look ahead to an equally promising year keeping people safe online.

Read the full 2023 Ads Safety Report here: https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/ads_safety_report_2023.pdf