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Google Blocked 5.1 Billion Harmful Ads and Suspended 39.2 Million Advertisers in 2024 Using AI-Powered Detection


In a powerful push against online ad abuse, Google announced it blocked 5.1 billion harmful ads and suspended over 39.2 million advertiser accounts in 2024, thanks largely to its AI-driven ad safety systems.


The tech giant shared its annual Ads Safety Report, highlighting the growing threat of malvertisingscam campaigns, and policy violations—and how it's leveraging cutting-edge artificial intelligence to stay ahead.


📊 By the Numbers: Google's 2024 Ad Safety Efforts

  • 🚫 5.1 billion bad ads blocked

  • ⚠️ 9.1 billion ads restricted

  • 🌐 Ads blocked/restricted on 1.3 billion webpages

  • ❌ 39.2 million advertiser accounts suspended, with many flagged before harmful ads were ever shown

  • 🕵️‍♂️ Over 5 million accounts suspended for scam-related activities


📅 In comparison, in 2023:

  • 5.5 billion bad ads were blocked

  • 6.9 billion ads were restricted

  • Ads were blocked/restricted on 2.1 billion pages

  • 12.7 million advertiser accounts were suspended


🚨 Top Violations in 2024

According to Google, these were the most common ad policy violations:

  1. Ad Network Abuse – 793.1 million violations

  2. Trademark Misuse – 503.1 million

  3. Inappropriate Personalized Ads – 491.3 million

  4. Legal Non-Compliance – 280.3 million

  5. Financial Services Scams – 193.7 million

  6. Ad Misrepresentation – 146.9 million


Other blocked or restricted content included:

  • Malware and phishing links

  • Misleading political ads

  • AI-generated deepfakes

  • Content promoting weapons, alcohol, tobacco, or gambling

  • Derogatory or sexually explicit material


🤖 How AI Helped Google Crack Down on Ad Fraud

Google emphasized its use of AI-powered detection tools to fight ad fraud at scale. These tools identify emerging abuse patterns, including:


  • Business impersonation

  • Illegitimate payment activity

  • Deepfake videos used in public figure impersonation scams

 

🧠 "We suspended over 700,000 accounts for deepfake-related impersonation scams alone," Google revealed.


In total, more than 415 million malicious ads were removed under this initiative, contributing to the 5+ million scam account suspensions.


🌍 Enhanced Global Ad Transparency and Election Integrity

In a move to increase global transparency, Google expanded its Advertiser Identity Verification program to over 200 countries and territories. This included new safeguards for AI-generated election ads.


✅ Key stats:

  • 8,900+ new election advertisers verified

  • 10.7 million unverified election ads removed in 2024


🛡️ Why This Matters: Malvertising as a Cybersecurity Threat

Google’s latest report underscores how malvertising remains a major entry point for malware, often used by threat actors to redirect users to fake sites or launch phishing attacks.


As Google's statement reads:

 

“The ad safety landscape is constantly evolving, driven by advances in AI, sophisticated abuse strategies, and real-world events. Tackling it requires constant innovation and industry-wide collaboration.”


✅ Final Thoughts

Google’s crackdown on malicious advertising in 2024 shows a rock-solid commitment to user safety, backed by AI innovation, strict policy enforcement, and global transparency.

As malvertising and AI-generated scams grow more advanced, it’s clear that platforms like Google must stay proactive and adaptive.