Google Suspends Political Ads, Citing Capitol Riot

Google temporarily suspended all political advertisements, including those referencing impeachment, inauguration or the Capitol protests, the company said Wednesday, citing the deadly riot at the Capitol (see 2101130074). “We regularly pause ads over unpredictable, ‘sensitive’ events when ads can be used to exploit the event or amplify misleading information,” a spokesperson emailed. “Beyond this, we have long-standing policies blocking content that incites violence or promotes hate and we will be extremely vigilant about enforcing on any ads that cross this line.” This includes ads for Google Ads, DV360, YouTube and AdX Authorized Buyer, the platform wrote advertisers.