Google launches new transparency tool â€“ Ads Transparency Center

Google has announced the launch of a brand new transparency tool, called the Ads Transparency Center, which will be a fully searchable repository of global ads that it serves from verified advertisers.

The Ads Transparency Center will start rolling out to users around the world to help clients quickly and easily learn more about the ads people see from Google, including Search, YouTube and Display.

The Ads Transparency Center builds on a long history of working to provide clients with more information about their advertisers. In 2018, starting in the US, Google began requiring advertisers who wished to run election ads on its platforms to go through a verification process and include an in-ad disclosure that clearly shows who paid for the ad. In 2020, Google took this one step further by introducing a global advertiser identity verification program that requires Google advertisers to verify information about their businesses, where they operate from and what they’re selling or promoting. Last fall, Google launched My Ad Center globally, its newest and most user-centric way to help users control the ads they see on Search, YouTube and Discover – directly from the ads themselves.

The Ads Transparency Center is a searchable hub of all ads served from verified advertisers. This one-stop shop ensures that users have easy access to information about the ads they see from Google. With the Ads Transparency Center, users will be able to understand:

The ads an advertiser has run
Which ads were shown in a certain region
The last date an ad ran, and the format of the ad.

For example, a user is seeing an ad for a skincare product that he/she is interested in, but doesn’t recognise the brand. With the Ads Transparency Center, one can look up the advertiser and learn more about them before purchasing or visiting their site.

The Ads Transparency Center can be accessed directly, or by visiting My Ad Center through the three-dot menu next to the ads one can see. Here, one will find a menu that includes information on whether or not the advertiser is a verified business and the user can also like an ad, block an ad or report a bad ad if they feel it violates one of Google’s policies. The user can customise their ad experience further – from seeing more of the brands they like and less of the ones they don’t.