Google plans to prohibit advertisers from running ads related to the US presidential election after the polls close on November 5th. According to a report by Axios, this marks the second instance in which Google has implemented such a policy, the first being during the 2020 election.
The company has stated that the decision to reenact this policy for the current election cycle is made “out of an abundance of caution and to limit the potential for confusion,” especially since vote counting is expected to continue beyond Election Day.
During the 2020 presidential election, delays were experienced in confirming President Biden’s victory due to the widespread use of postal voting amid the pandemic. Google’s policy this year will apply to any US election-related ads or ads referencing the US elections across its advertising platforms, including Google Ads, YouTube, Shopping ads, among others.
Similarly, Meta is taking steps to block new political ads during the final week of the US election campaign, consistent with its actions in 2020. Additionally, Meta has introduced requirements for advertisers to disclose the use of AI or other digital tools in modifying advertisements.