Google has released its annual report of ads that made the ‘naughty list’, the company described the more than 780 million ads they had blocked in 2015 including ads that carry malware, promote fake goods, scam or trick people.
Through a combination of computer algorithms and a global team of more than 1,000 people at Google reviewing ads, the company attempts to block the vast majority of these bad ads before they ever get shown.
Sridhar Ramaswamy, SVP, Ads & Commerce said: “When ads are good, they connect you to products or services you’re interested in and make it easier to get stuff you want. Bad ads can ruin your entire online experience, a problem we take very seriously.”
Here are some types of bad ads we busted in 2015:
Counterfeiters
Google suspended more than 10,000 sites and 18,000 accounts for attempting to sell counterfeit goods.
Pharmaceuticals
Google blocked more than 12.5 million ads that violated its healthcare and medicines policy, such as ads for pharmaceuticals that weren’t approved for use or that made misleading claims to be as effective as prescription drugs.
Weight loss scams
Weight loss scams, like ads for supplements promising impossible-to-achieve weight loss without diet or exercise, were one of the top user complaints in 2015. We responded by suspending more than 30,000 sites for misleading claims.
Phishing
In 2015, Google stepped up its efforts to fight phishing sites, blocking nearly 7,000 sites as a result. Phishing ads directs users to enter details at a fake website whose look and feel are almost identical to the legitimate on. Scamming the person out of their username, passwords and credit card details.
Unwanted software
Unwanted software can slow your devices down or unexpectedly change your homepage and keep you from changing it back. With powerful new protections, Google disabled more than 10,000 sites offering unwanted software, and reduced unwanted downloads via Google ads by more than 99 per cent.
Trick to click
More than 17 million ads designed to trick people- for example ones that look like system warnings from your computer- were rejected last year.
Policy violators
Google said it blocked more than 1.4 million applications that didn’t follow its policies for websites and mobile apps. Including mobile ads placed too close to a button.
Accidental mobile clicks
Google has developed technology to determine when clicks on mobile ads are accidental. Instead of sending you off to an advertiser page you didn’t mean to visit, we let you continue enjoying your slideshow (and the advertiser doesn’t get charged).
In 2014, Google shut down 524 million ads and 350 million in 2013.
