Google announced Thursday it will soon require all advertisers to complete a "verification program" before buying ads on Google Search, its display ad network, and YouTube. Previously, the search giant rolled out a similar program for political ads.
Advertisers will be required to submit documents that will prove their identity and the country where they operate. Google said advertisers' info will be shown in "Why This Ad?" disclosures starting this summer.
"This change will make it easier for people to understand who the advertiser is behind the ads they see from Google and help them make more informed decisions when using our advertising controls," Google wrote in a blog post. "It will also help support the health of the digital advertising ecosystem by detecting bad actors and limiting their attempts to misrepresent themselves."
In practice, users can open the dropdown menu on ads that appear above search results to learn "About the advertiser." This loads a box that names the company behind an advertisement and where they are located.
There will also be a link to learn more and a setting on whether to "Show ads" from them in the future. It will join the existing "Why this ad?" option, while Google has yet to show how this interface will work on ads that appear on third-party sites and applications.
The search giant will start its verification program in the US with plans for global expansion to follow. Ads are big business for Google and its parent company, Alphabet. Annual revenue for Alphabet is more than $160 billion, and roughly 85% comes from ads.
In other news, Google now allows users to bookmark movies and TV shows from Search via its new Watchlist feature. Watchlist was first spotted last year, a feature that lets users save recommendations so they can keep track of shows they found in Search.
When a user searches for a TV show or movie, Google's knowledge panel for that show will now display an add to the Watchlist option. If it's saved to Watchlist, said show will be added to a database that you can access in the Google Search app.
Those who are using Android TV will notice three new rows from YouTube from their home screen. First, you'll find a "COVID-19 news" row, providing fast and easy access to news videos and reports from public health agents. The other two rows are entertainment-focused, with one focusing on Google's Stay Home #WithMe campaign and the other showcasing free, ad-supported movies from YouTube.
