Google removed over 5.1 billion ads and suspended more than 39.2 million advertiser accounts in 2024 as part of its efforts to combat bad actors and protect users online. The company’s Ads Safety Report for 2024 revealed that artificial intelligence played a major role in identifying and blocking harmful content before it reached consumers.
The report showed that AI-driven tools enabled more efficient and accurate enforcement at scale. Over 50 upgrades were made to these models last year, which helped speed up investigations and detect fraud indicators such as fake payment information during account set-up.
As a result, AI contributed to the detection and enforcement of 97 percent of the publisher pages where action was taken. Google restricted over 9.1 billion ads and blocked or restricted advertising on 1.3 billion publisher pages. The company also took broader action at the site level on over 220,000 publisher websites.
In response to rising scam risks, Google has continued to work closely with partners and use its most advanced tools to ensure a safer online experience. The company expanded its Advertiser Identity Verification programme, which now covers more than 200 countries and territories. Over 90 percent of the ads viewed on Google are from verified advertisers.
Google has also focused on adapting its policies to deal with emerging threats. A dedicated team of over 100 experts analysed scam trends and developed countermeasures. The rise of AI-generated impersonation ads featuring public figures triggered updates to Google’s Misrepresentation policy. Advertisers found promoting such scams now face permanent suspension.
Over 700,000 advertiser accounts were permanently removed under this revised policy in 2024, leading to a 90 percent drop in reports linked to these types of scam ads. Google blocked or removed 415 million ads and suspended over 5 million accounts last year for violations related specifically to scam activity.
Google has also expanded its policies around election-related ads to safeguard integrity and transparency across more markets. The company introduced stricter identity verification rules for election advertisers in several new countries. These efforts aim to help users clearly identify election ads and understand who is funding them.
More than 8,900 new election advertisers were verified globally in the past year. Google removed 10.7 million election ads from unverified accounts. These moves reflect Google’s broader aim to ensure the digital ad space remains transparent and accountable, particularly in politically sensitive periods.
The Ads Safety Report underlines Google’s commitment to staying ahead of malicious actors, especially as scams grow more sophisticated with the help of generative AI. The company aims to ensure that both users and legitimate advertisers are protected, while bad actors are removed before they can cause harm.
