Google Implements Identity Verification for All Types of Advertisers

Google intends on implementing an identity verification process for all entities that would like to advertise on its platform, gambling advertising companies included, a recent blog post suggests.

John Canfield, Google’s Product Management, Ads Integrity Director, used the official blog of the company to inform the public that changes to the advertising policy of the technology giant are coming.

No More Ads Anonymity

Having transparency in mind, the technology platform has decided to enable users to be fully aware with regards to who stands behind each ad they see, giving them choice and control to select what they want to see and what they want to filter out.

Besides the Ad Settings options available now that allow people to personalize or even opt out of seeing advertising content, Google will seek to inform them not only why a specific ad has been shown to them, but also about the advertising entity behind it.

Google announced they will begin requiring documentation of user identity and geographic location for advertisers.

The new policy is tied to their 2018 policy update requiring identification verification for political advertisements. https://t.co/YjDhhE0I5G

— Filip Galetic (@fgaletic) April 24, 2020

Since 2018, Google has been subjecting all political advertisers to a strict policy of identity verification, if they want to run election ads on the platform, a policy that allowed the technology company to reach a higher level of transparency, having successfully managed to identify political and other entities in 30 countries, as John Canfield admits. Based on these results, Google has decided to extend the identity verification policy to all advertisers on its platform.

Global Verification Level Within Several Years

There will be a slow process of rolling-out of the new policy that will continue for several years until it is fully implemented, but advertisers will soon be prompted to identify themselves if they want to buy ads on the platform. They will need to submit documents for personal identification, including business incorporation papers that prove who they are and which country they reside in, as starting from this summer, Google is intending on providing disclosures that inform users about the advertiser behind the ads they are being shown.

Besides letting users make fully informed decisions about what ads to see, the policy is aimed at improving the health of the Google’s digital ecosystem by discouraging, even eliminating any attempts for misrepresentations by some entities claiming they are someone they are not.

For companies within the gambling industry the new measures will not change anything, as the requirement to identify clients has been a cornerstone for any regulated market for years, and regulators have been dishing serious financial penalties for any operator that fail to perform its rule-related duties.

Tightening the rules for the industry though, represents a slight turn in Google’s policy which so far was built around exemptions and weaving of ads restrictions for gambling companies, especially in the US.

Roll-Out Program

The initial identity verification will start in phases in the US and from then on continue to expand globally, Google’s product director outlines. The process will continue to be scaled once launched and Google will work closely with all advertising entities to continue to expand on the level of helpful information the platform surfaces out to its users.

The main goal at Google is to achieve an informed ad experience and broadening the verification policy is the step towards reaching there, John Canfield concludes.