Google stops political ads in wake of Capitol violence – CNET
Members of the National Guard outside the US Capitol, following last week’s violence. Google has blocked political ads as a result of the Jan. 6 incident.
Google is blocking all political ads on its platforms following last week’s violence on Capitol Hill, as previously reported by Axios. It’ll start Thursday and last until at least Jan. 21, the day after Joe Biden’s inauguration.
“Given the events of the past week, we will expand our sensitive event policy enforcement to temporarily pause all political ads in addition to any ads referencing impeachment, the inauguration, or protests at the US Capitol,” the company said in an emailed statement.
It’ll apply to ads running through Google Ads, DV360, YouTube and AdX Authorized Buyer. The search giant previously banned political ads after the November election to limit the spread of misinformation, but that restriction was lifted in December.
On Tuesday, Google-owned YouTube suspended President Donald Trump’s account for at least a week, citing an “ongoing potential for violence.”
Tech companies are taking steps to curb any further incidents after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol as lawmakers voted to confirm Biden’s election victory. Twitter permanently banned Trump, while Facebook indefinitely blocked the president’s account.