Google Suspends 29 Lakh Indian Ad Accounts in 2024 Election Cleanup

Google removed over 10.7 crore election-related ads from unverified advertisers globally in 2024 — a 46% jump from 7.3 crore in 2023.

The figures were released in its Annual Ads Safety Report published on April 16.

As multiple countries, including India, went to polls, Google said it verified over 8,900 election advertisers and enforced stricter ad policies to “protect election integrity”.

Overall, the tech giant blocked 510 crore ads and shut down 3.92 crore advertiser accounts worldwide — a nearly 200% increase from the year before. Of these, 29 lakh suspended accounts were registered in India.

Top violations included misleading financial services ads, trademark misuse, abuse of the ad network, improper personalised ad practices, and gambling content.

In India, parties spent heavily on digital ads ahead of the 2024 general elections. BJP alone reported spending Rs 156.95 crore on Google platforms and Rs 24.63 crore on Meta.