Google to ban political ads in Canada before election

Google will modify its ad policies and systems to block advertisers from running ads that fall under the purview of a recent bill.

Google will ban political advertising on its platform before the Canadian federal election, after the country introduced stringent transparency rules.

Bill C-76, which was passed in December, requires online platforms to keep a registry of all political and partisan advertisements they directly or indirectly publish.

“For the duration of the 2019 federal election campaign, Google will not accept advertising regulated by Bill C-76,” Colin McKay, Google Canada’s head of public policy, said in a statement.

“We’re focusing our efforts on supporting Canadian news literacy programs and connecting people to useful and relevant election-related information.”

The election is due in October in Canada. Google will modify its ad policies and systems to block advertisers from running ads that fall under the purview of the definitions set out in Bill C-76.

Other Google services such as enhanced search results and platforms, including YouTube, will still be available during the campaign period.