Google Blocks 5.1 Billion Harmful Ads and Suspends Over 39 Million Advertiser Accounts in 2024
Google announced on Wednesday that it took significant action against harmful advertising in 2024, suspending more than 39.2 million advertiser accounts, with most being proactively identified and blocked before malicious ads could reach users.
In total, the company reported that it blocked 5.1 billion bad ads, placed restrictions on 9.1 billion ads, and either blocked or restricted advertising on 1.3 billion web pages. Additionally, over 5 million accounts were suspended for violations related to scams.
The six most common violations of Google’s ad policies included:
- Ad network abuse: 793.1 million instances
- Trademark misuse: 503.1 million
- Improper personalized advertising: 491.3 million
- Non-compliance with legal requirements: 280.3 million
- Unregulated financial services: 193.7 million
- Misrepresentation: 146.9 million
A majority of the web pages affected by ad restrictions or blocks contained content related to sexually explicit material, malware, hateful or dangerous speech, online gambling, weapons sales, tobacco and alcohol abuse, intellectual property violations, and other forms of shocking or inappropriate content.
To stay ahead of emerging threats, Google has increasingly relied on AI-powered tools to detect patterns of abuse, using signals such as impersonation attempts and suspicious payment activity to combat ad fraud at scale.
“For example, we targeted the rise of AI-generated deepfake scams that impersonate public figures, suspending more than 700,000 accounts for this specific violation,” Google noted. “These efforts contributed to the removal of 415 million ads and the suspension of over 5 million scam-related accounts.”
In an effort to increase transparency and reinforce trust, Google expanded its Advertiser Identity Verification program to over 200 countries and territories, and introduced stricter requirements for AI-generated content used in political advertising. In 2024 alone, 8,900 new election advertisers were verified, and more than 10.7 million unverified election ads were taken down.
Google’s continued focus on ad safety comes amid a growing trend of malvertising, where cybercriminals exploit ad platforms—particularly search engines—to lure users to fraudulent or malicious websites.
“The landscape of ad safety is evolving rapidly,” Google stated. “With advancements in AI, shifting abuse tactics, and global events influencing the ecosystem, staying agile is critical for the industry as a whole.”
