Google has announced that it blocked or removed 5.1 billion harmful ads and restricted another 9.1 billion globally in 2024.
The company revealed this in its 2024 Ads Safety Report released on Wednesday.
Google also suspended over 39 million advertiser accounts, many before a single ad was shown, noting that AI is becoming a critical line of defence against increasingly sophisticated scams, fake business identities, and coordinated misinformation campaigns online.
“These improvements helped us move faster, identify threats earlier, and take action before bad actors could reach users,” said General Manager for Ads Safety at Google, Alex Rodriguez.
“That’s the real power of AI—making the internet safer not just reactively, but proactively,” he added.
The shift towards pre-emptive detection and intervention comes at a crucial time.
According to Google, across Africa and beyond, users are navigating a rapidly evolving digital environment where trust, safety, and transparency matter more than ever.
Google specifically cited Nigeria as one of the countries where fake ads were blocked before they were posted.
“In Nigeria, public figure impersonation scams and misleading election ads have become familiar threats,” it stated.
It said this was why in 2024, it updated its Misrepresentation policy, assembled a global team of over 100 experts, and took down over 700,000 scam-related advertiser accounts—contributing to a 90% drop in reported impersonation scams.
With nearly half the world’s population heading to the polls in 2024, Google also expanded election ad transparency, requiring all political advertisers to verify their identities and clearly disclose who’s paying for the message.
More than 10 million election-related ads were removed globally for failing to meet these standards.
Though the figures are global, the effects are tangible for users and businesses across Africa.
Safe online advertising supports economic inclusion—protecting small businesses, digital creators, and publishers who rely on platforms like Google to reach audiences and generate income.
For Nigeria’s growing digital economy, which is heavily reliant on trust in online transactions, Google’s enforcement efforts offer a critical layer of protection.
From preventing payment fraud to curbing the spread of AI-generated misinformation, robust ad safety measures are becoming essential infrastructure.
“We launched over 50 enhancements to our AI models in 2024. This allowed our teams to focus more on complex, high-impact investigations, while automation handled scale,” Rodriguez added.
Google emphasised that safeguarding the online ecosystem goes beyond technology.
Beyond technology, the company said it would continue to work with regulators, consumer protection agencies, and industry peers, such as through the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, to anticipate and address emerging threats.
AFP
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