Alphabet Inc’s Google will pause political advertisements on all of its platforms till at least Jan. 21, following final week’s violence at the U.S. Capitol, according to an e-mail to advertisers noticed by Reuters.
The e-mail mentioned the action was taken “following the unprecedented events of the past week and ahead of the upcoming presidential inauguration,” which requires spot on Jan. 20.
In a statement, Google mentioned it would “temporarily pause all political ads in addition to any ads referencing impeachment, the inauguration, or protests at the U.S. Capitol.”
The move, to take impact on Thursday, will make no exceptions for news organizations or merchandisers operating advertisements.
On Dec. 10, Google had lifted a short-term ban on election-connected ads, which took impact immediately after polls closed in the November U.S. presidential election and aimed to curb misinformation and other abuses on its platforms.
Facebook Inc also paused political advertisements immediately after the Nov. 3 election, only briefly unfreezing advertisements about the U.S. Senate election in Georgia earlier this month.
A Google spokeswoman mentioned the business had been employing a restricted version of its “Sensitive Event” policy given that the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump, which meant it did not let advertisements referencing the political violence at the Capitol.
The policy seeks to prohibit content that potentially capitalizes on events like public overall health emergencies or organic disasters.
In the e-mail, which was 1st reported by Axios, Google also reminded advertisers of its policy against advertisements that market hate or incite violence. “Given the events of the last week, we are extremely vigilant about enforcing on any ads that might reasonably be construed as crossing this line,” it mentioned.
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