Last year, 320,000 publishers disappeared from Google's ad inventory for violating its policies, and nearly 90,000 websites and 700,000 mobile apps were blacklisted.
Bitcoin, the world's largest cryptocurrency, is falling after Google announced it will block cryptocurrency ads. Its price dropped 9 percent after news emerged that Google, which operates the world's largest advertising platform, is notifying that it will block cryptocurrency ads.
Facebook, the second-largest online advertising provider, took similar action in January, banning ads for "binary options, initial coin offerings and cryptocurrencies" across its services. Some analysts say the bans could be a good thing for the industry in the long run, and prices are moving in line with persistent regulatory uncertainty.
Declines in the cryptocurrency market
Prices of major cryptocurrencies saw a sharp decline today, attributed to increased legal scrutiny and Google's announcement of plans to ban ads related to the sector.
The market is reacting with declines in value. The most popular cryptocurrencies have been posting weaker results for many weeks. Bitcoin traded at just USD 7,676.52 last Thursday, its lowest since February 8, according to CoinDesk data. In the afternoon, the price rose slightly.
Desire to protect customers
The unavailability of ad inventory is dictated by the desire to protect customers from fraudsters who, using the current trend, mislead users.
As Google explains in its rationale: "Digital advertising plays an important role in creating the internet as it is today - a forum where anyone with a good idea and good content can reach audiences and potentially make a living. For this free ad-supported network to be sustained by advertising, it must be a safe and effective place to learn, create and advertise. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.
Whether it is a one-off incident or a coordinated effort by fraudsters trying to make money, negative experiences harm the entire ecosystem. That is why for 15 years we have been investing in technology, policy and talent to help us fight problems such as ad fraud, malware and scammers. Last year, we were able to remove more bad actors from our ads ecosystem than ever before, and faster."
Summary
Google cleaned up its ad ecosystem by removing 320,000 publishers last year and blocking cryptocurrency ads. The blacklist included 90,000 websites and 700,000 mobile apps that violated policies concerning, among other things, fraud and malware. The decision affected the market – Bitcoin lost 9 percent, and its price fell to USD 7,676.52. Following Google, Facebook took similar steps, banning ads for binary options and coin offerings. These actions are intended to protect users from fraudsters exploiting the crypto craze, although analysts see them as an opportunity to bring order to the industry in the long term.
