CRACKDOWN

Google Follows Facebook by Banning Ads for Cryptocurrencies

Removed 3.2 billion “bad ads” in 2017.

The two biggest online ad-sellers will soon be out of reach for digital cryptocurrencies. Google announced Wednesday that it will follow Facebook and ban ads that promote cryptocurrencies and initial coin offers, starting in June. Facebook announced its ban in January because so many of the adverts were “misleading or deceptive.” Google’s announcement said the company would ban ads on “cryptocurrencies and related content” as part of an effort to improve ad spots across its platforms, with Scott Spencer, director of sustainable ads, saying: “Improving the ads experience across the web, whether that’s removing harmful ads or intrusive ads, will continue to be a top priority for us.” In a blog post, Spencer revealed that Google had taken down 3.2 billion “bad ads” during 2017, nearly double the number it removed the year previous. “This means we’re able to block the majority of bad ad experiences, like malvertising and phishing scams, before the scams impact people.”