Image by Vojtěch Kučera from Pixabay
Google has announced an update to its misrepresentation policy to stop the practice of ads falsely claiming association with or endorsment by public figures or brands. The update comes in the unacceptable business practices section of Google’s Misrepresentation policy.
The policy is being updated to include:
“…enticing users to part with money or information by impersonating or falsely implying affiliation with or endorsement by a public figure, brand, or organization.”
Enforcement will begin in March 2024, and April 2024 for users in France.
Google says violations of the policy are taken very seriously and considered egregious.
The penalties will be severe. Ads accounts found in violation of the policy will be suspended without prior warning on detection, and banned from advertising with Google Ads again.
Google’s Misrepresentation policy bans a wide range of deceptive practices such as scams, dishonest pricing, impersonation and phishing. Google says advertisers should review the policy and remove any ads which fall foul of this before the enforcement date.
