To Prevent Online Fraud, Google Is Now More Transparent About Advertisers On Its Platform

Google wants to create a transparent business environment. (photo: doc. unsplash)

JAKARTA - Google realizes that its platform is full of dishonest advertisers. And now the company is starting to give users more information about who is running the ads they see.

In the "About This Ad" tab the company will show basic information about the advertiser, as well as any other ads they've run in the last 30 days. Its purpose is to help users properly assess whether an advertiser can be trusted. The move follows criticism of fraud on its various platforms such as Google Search, YouTube, Gmail, and others.

By providing more transparency, Google expects users to exercise caution before buying. For example, when you see a jacket ad, you don't recognize the brand. With an advertiser page, users can learn more about the advertiser before visiting their site or making a transaction.

In addition to learning about ads and advertisers, users can more easily report an ad if they believe it violates one of the company's policies. When ads are reported, the Google team will review whether they comply with the policies and will remove them if they are not.

"Creating a secure experience is our top priority, and user feedback is an important part of how we do it," Google said in its official blog quoted from The Verge, Thursday, September 23.

Advertiser pages will be rolling out in the coming months in the United States (US) and will be rolling out gradually to more countries in 2022.

"We'll also continue to learn how to share additional data within advertiser pages over time," Google continued.

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Some time ago, Google has also introduced an advertiser identity verification program that requires Google advertisers to verify information about their business, where they operate, and what they sell or promote.

This transparency helps users learn more about the company behind a particular ad. It also helps distinguish credible advertisers in the ecosystem, while limiting the ability of bad actors to misrepresent themselves. Since launching the program last year, Google has started verifying advertisers in more than 90 countries.

However, a recent report in the UK shows that Google and Facebook, which dominate advertising to date, still fail to remove many of the fraudulent ads, leading users to dummy versions of the notorious e-commerce.

Some scammers even target Google Maps with fake business listings. Now, it should be easier to report ads that violate Google policies, where Google promises that team members will review all reporting.