Google will begin providing users with additional information about the companies that are sponsoring the ads they see. The “About this ad” tab will provide basic information about advertisers as well as any other advertisements they’ve run in the last 30 days. Following complaints about frauds on the platform, the objective is to assist users to accurately determine if a certain ad buyer is trustworthy.
According to the company, it has begun vetting advertisers in 90 countries, but the disclosure option will be available only in the United States in the coming months, with plans to extend to other nations in 2022.
Every day, more than 30 million people engage with Google ads’ transparency and control menus, and the simplified experience of “About this ad” has garnered a good response. The company noted that users interact with their ad transparency and control features on YouTube more than on any other Google property. In the coming months, the company plans to extend the “About this ad” functionality to YouTube and ‘Search’ to help users make educated decisions online, regardless of where they engage.
