Google stopped 5.1 billion rogue ads from reaching users, fired millions of bad accounts

Google published its latest Ads Safety Report, revealing enforcement insights for 2024. It suspended over 39.2 million fraudulent ad accounts, where most were neutralized before they could post an ad.

The search giant has used AI to improve its ads platform for years. Throughout 2024, Google pushed over 50 enhancements to its large language models (LLMs), which enabled more efficient and precise enforcement at scale.

Google said that its LLMs outperform previously used machine learning models, which needed vast datasets for training. The newer alternatives are much more efficient and only need a fraction of the information to detect emerging threats, identify patterns of abuse, and distinguish legitimate businesses from scams.

Bad actors use various tactics to gain access to Google's ad network, including business impersonation and illegitimate payment details, which often act as early indicators of potential harm. The company then uses its Advertiser Identity Verification tool to prevent suspended accounts from returning.

According to the report, Google blocked or removed over 5.1 billion rogue ads in 2024, preventing them from reaching users. These bad ads violated different policies, such as those around abusing the ad network, personalized ads, legal requirements, and misrepresentation.

Google noted that the rise of public figure impersonation was an emerging trend among fraudsters. Bad actors use "AI-generated imagery or audio to imply an affiliation with a celebrity to promote a scam." It is worth noting that impersonation exists on other Google-owned platforms like YouTube, where AI tools can generate content that sounds or looks like popular creators.

Google updated its misrepresentation policy and assembled a team of over 100 experts to analyze these scams and create a defense mechanism. It permanently suspended over 700,000 advertiser accounts that promote such scams, leading to a 90% drop in their reporting.

The company also restricted over 9.1 billion ads in 2024. These advertisements might be legally or culturally sensitive in some areas, and Google limits their reach where they might be inappropriate. For instance, they can include ads around adult content, gambling, and more.

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years.

News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of March): 1,357

RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend