Skip to main content

Google says political-leaning advertisers will require an ID to verify their identity

Google says political-leaning advertisers will require an ID to verify their identity

/

The company will also produce a transparency report and a searchable database

Share this story

A Google logo sits at the center of ominous concentric circles
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google will implement new transparency rules concerning US election ads this week. In a blog post, Google Senior Vice President Kent Walker says that anyone who wants to purchase election ads in the US will now be required to prove that they’re a US citizen or resident by providing a “a government-issued ID and other key information.”

Google also says that it will begin to release a new Transparency Report that will outline who is purchasing political ads, and how much they’re spending, and will also roll out a “searchable library” for users to search through to find the identity of advertisers.

The move follows updated policies from Facebook, which said earlier last month that it will require advertisers and page managers to verify their identity if they want to run ads around political issues.