Google Announces Update to AdMob & AdSense Program Policies in February

This February, Google plans to introduce a new Sensitive Events policy as an addition to their AdMob & AdSense Program Policies.

Understanding the Need for Compliance: Non-compliance can result in the suspension of ads on your site and the potential termination of your AdSense account.

In cases of widespread policy violation, Google may take site-level action, but typically, the initial response involves removing the infringing content at the page level.

Defining a ‘Sensitive Event’: Per Google’s support page, a Sensitive Event is an unforeseen situation posing a significant threat to Google’s ability to:

• Ensure high-quality, relevant, and accurate information.
• Reduce the occurrence of inappropriate content in key, revenue-generating areas.

Events deemed sensitive can have a major impact on societal, cultural, or political landscapes, such as:

• Civil emergency incidents.
• Natural disasters.
• Public health emergencies.
• Acts of terrorism and related activities.
• Conflicts and hostilities.
• Major acts of violence.

Google’s Prohibited Content Guidelines During Sensitive Events:

Google outlines non-comprehensive guidelines for content that is prohibited during Sensitive Events, including:

• Products or services exploiting or trivializing Sensitive Events, like overcharging or artificially inflating prices to restrict access to essential supplies; selling goods or services unlikely to meet demand during a sensitive event.
• Using sensitive event-related keywords to drive traffic.
• Statements blaming sensitive event victims for their misfortune or similar sentiments; assertions that victims do not deserve aid or compensation; claims assigning responsibility for a global public health crisis to victims from specific countries.

Adapting to Change: Google’s new policy aims to prevent the monetization of content related to sensitive events, barring advertisers from placing ads that could exploit these situations. This policy is designed to discourage the exploitation of emergencies while allowing the documentation of such events for journalistic purposes.