Winning Bizness Desk
Mumbai.Google has stepped up its crackdown on misleading advertising in India, removing or blocking 483.7 million ads that violated its policies in 2025. The company also suspended 1.7 million advertiser accounts during the same period, signalling a sharper focus on platform safety amid rising misuse of digital ad ecosystems.
Global crackdown intensifies across the advertising ecosystem
The figures were disclosed in Google’s 2025 Ads Safety Report released on Thursday, which highlights a massive global enforcement drive. Across the world, the company removed over 8.3 billion harmful advertisements last year, alongside suspending 24.9 million advertiser accounts. Google claimed that 99 percent of these ads were blocked before users could even see them, reflecting a pre-emptive approach rather than reactive moderation.
Gemini AI boosts detection and enforcement speed
Google attributed much of this improved performance to its artificial intelligence platform Gemini, which has significantly enhanced the company’s ability to detect fraudulent behaviour. With scammers increasingly deploying generative AI to create convincing fake advertisements, Gemini enables real-time identification and blocking of such content. The company said action on user-reported ads became four times faster in 2025 compared to the previous year, indicating a major leap in response efficiency.
- AI-driven systems now detect scams in real time
- Action on user complaints is four times faster
- Fake ads using generative AI are rising rapidly
Shift from keywords to intent-based ad scrutiny
According to Kiran Sharma, Vice President and General Manager for Ads Privacy and Safety, Google’s systems have evolved beyond traditional keyword-based filtering. The new models analyse the intent behind advertisements by studying billions of signals such as account behaviour, history, and activity patterns. This allows the system to flag even those ads that are specifically designed to evade detection, strengthening early-stage prevention.
Understanding generative AI and safety reporting mechanisms
Generative AI refers to technology capable of independently producing text, images and videos, which is now being exploited by fraudsters to design highly realistic fake ads. Google’s annual Ads Safety Report serves as a transparency tool, detailing the measures taken to maintain user safety and platform integrity.
- Generative AI enables creation of realistic fake ads
- Safety report ensures transparency in enforcement
- Platforms face growing challenge of AI-driven scams
User caution remains critical despite strong safeguards
Despite Google’s claim of blocking nearly all harmful ads, the company has cautioned users against complacency. Even a small fraction of undetected ads can pose serious risks. Users are advised to remain vigilant while engaging with online advertisements.
- Avoid offers that seem unrealistically attractive
- Do not share bank or OTP details on unknown sites
- Check URLs and brand names carefully before clicking
- Do not rely solely on ‘sponsored’ tags for authenticity
Impact on advertising industry and ongoing refinements
The large-scale suspension of advertiser accounts has had a dual impact on the digital advertising ecosystem. While it has helped dismantle extensive fraud networks, there are concerns that some legitimate small businesses may occasionally get affected due to automated enforcement. Google acknowledged this challenge and said it is continuously refining its systems to ensure higher accuracy, aiming to target only violators while safeguarding genuine advertisers.
- Fraud networks face major disruption globally
- Genuine businesses may see occasional false flags
- Google working to improve targeting precision
