Google will begin providing users with additional information about the companies that are sponsoring the ads they see. The “About this ad” tab will provide basic information about advertisers as well as any other advertisements they’ve run in the last 30 days. Following complaints about frauds on the platform, the objective is to assist users to accurately determine if a certain ad buyer is trustworthy.
According to the company, it has begun vetting advertisers in 90 countries, but the disclosure option will be available only in the United States in the coming months, with plans to extend to other nations in 2022.
Every day, more than 30 million people engage with Google ads’ transparency and control menus, and the simplified experience of “About this ad” has garnered a good response. The company noted that users interact with their ad transparency and control features on YouTube more than on any other Google property. In the coming months, the company plans to extend the “About this ad” functionality to YouTube and ‘Search’ to help users make educated decisions online, regardless of where they engage.
What they are saying
Mojdeh Tomsich, Product Manager, Ads Privacy and Safety at Google said in a blog post: “Today, people engage with a wider variety of ad formats on more Google products than ever before — from Video ads on YouTube to Shopping ads across Search, Display and more. And they increasingly want to know more about the ads they see. That’s why we’ve been innovating on features like “About this ad” to help users understand why an ad was shown, and to mute ads or advertisers they aren’t interested in.
We’re committed to creating a trustworthy Google ad experience, and enhanced ad disclosures represent the next step in that journey. We will continue to work towards helping our users have greater control and understanding over the ads they see.”
