Google Says 'No Way' to Deepfake Ads With New Updates

Google recently announced updates to its policy on deepfakes, specifically targeting the rise of AI-generated pornography it refers to as "synthetic sexually explicit content" in ads.

According to a report from 404media, the tech giant sent an email to all Google Ad Managers outlining its intention to prohibit the promotion of content that has been "altered or generated to be sexually explicit or contain nudity."

"We have long prohibited both sexually explicit and non-consensual sexual content on our ads platforms and these policies have typically prevented the promotion of deepfake pornography services," a Google spokesperson told 404media.

"To ensure a comprehensive approach, we are updating our ads policies to make it clear that we do not allow the promotion of these services — regardless of whether the content is sexually explicit or not."

The changes are set to take effect on May 30. 

Google's Fight With Deepfakes

Google's "Inappropriate Content Policy" originally bans shocking content and those that promote "hatred, intolerance, discrimination, or violence."

But the increasing number of tools that allow the creation and dissemination of nonconsensual AI-generated porn necessitate that this policy be updated.

Such tools have been observed on various platforms, including Google's own app store, as well as those of Apple and Meta.

They often disguise themselves as harmless and safe applications, only to promote their capability to generate nonconsensual adult content on social media and pornographic websites.

In light of these developments, Google has extended the scope of its policy updates to encompass its Ads, Publisher, and Shopping Ads platforms, explicitly prohibiting advertisements for services offering to create deepfake pornography or synthetic nude content.

It also emphasized the severity of policy violations, noting that breaches will result in the suspension and ban of advertiser or publisher accounts.

"We take violations of this policy very seriously and consider them egregious. If we find violations of this policy, we will suspend your Google Ads accounts upon detection and without prior warning, and you will not be allowed to advertise with us again," the company wrote on its Support page. 

Meta Faces the Same Issue

Recently, Meta has also faced an influx of AI ads on Facebook and Instagram promoting chatbots that offer sexually explicit images and text.

While the Zuckerberg-owned company says it prohibits ads containing adult content and removed those that violated its policies, thousands of ads promoting "AI girlfriends" and "not safe for work" (NSFW) content were still found in its ad library. 

"When we identify violating ads we work quickly to remove them, as we’re doing here," Ryan Daniels, a spokesperson from Meta, told WIRED.

"We continue to improve our systems, including how we detect ads and behavior that go against our policies."

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Editing by Katherine 'Makkie' Maclang