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 malvertising, scam 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:
Ad Network Abuse – 793.1 million violations
Trademark Misuse – 503.1 million
Inappropriate Personalized Ads – 491.3 million
Legal Non-Compliance – 280.3 million
Financial Services Scams – 193.7 million
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:
✅ 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.