Google to verify identities of US political ad buyers

World
Europe

Google says it will do a better job of verifying the identity of political ad buyers in the US by requiring a copy of a government-issued ID and other information.

It will also require the disclosure of who is paying for the ad. Google executive Kent Walker is repeating a pledge he made in November to create a library of such ads that will be searchable by anyone by this summer.

"We're investing heavily in keeping our own platforms secure and working with campaigns, elections officials, journalists, and others to help ensure the security of the online platforms that they depend on. "

Last year, Google promised to make political advertising more transparent.

New policies came short of Google declaring support for the Honest Ads Act, a bill that would impose disclosure requirements on online ads, similar to what’s required for television and other media. Facebook and Twitter support that bill.

Google said that it will require anyone seeking to buy election ads in the US to prove they are legal residents, as required by law.

The applications under the new system will open by the end of May, with approval taking up to five days, according to Google.

Source(s): AP ,AFP