Google asks advertisers to disclose political ads with altered content

Google is updating the Disclosure requirements for synthetic content under the Political content policy. Advertisers are now required to disclose election ads that contain synthetic or digitally altered content that inauthentically depicts real or realistic-looking people or events by selecting the checkbox in the “Altered or synthetic content” section in their campaign settings.

For the following formats, Google will then generate an in-ad disclosure based on that checkbox, and advertisers are not required to include their own in-ad disclosure.

• Feeds on Mobile Phones
• Shorts on Mobile Phones
• In-stream (Computers, Mobile Phones, Mobile Web, and TV Screens)

For all other formats, the advertiser is responsible for selecting the checkbox and providing a prominent disclosure. The disclosure must be clear and conspicuous, and must be placed in a location where it is likely to be noticed by users. Acceptable disclosure language will vary depending on the specific context of the ad, but some examples may include:

• Altered or synthetic content.
• This audio was computer generated.
• This image does not depict real events.
• This video content was synthetically generated.