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Google pausing all political ads following Capitol siege

13 January 2021
Dan Ackermann

Google informed its advertising partners Wednesday that beginning Jan. 14, its platforms will block all political ads, as well as any related to the Capitol insurrection, "following the unprecedented events of the past week and ahead of the upcoming presidential inauguration," according to an email obtained by Axios.

Why it matters: Political ad bans are designed to curb confusion and misinformation surrounding highly sensitive events. Google says a limited version of its "sensitive event" policies went into effect after the violent events in the Capitol on Jan. 6.

  • Google lifted a ban on election ads in December after the Nov. 3 election and ahead of the Georgia runoffs.

Details: Advertisers will not be able to run any political ads or ads "referencing candidates, the election, its outcome, the upcoming presidential inauguration, the ongoing presidential impeachment process, violence at the U.S. Capitol, or future planned protests on these topics," according to the email.

  • "There will not be any carveouts in this policy for news or merchandise advertisers," the notice reads.
  • The ban will apply broadly to any ads running through Google's ad tech platforms, including Google Ads, DV360, YouTube, and AdX Authorized Buyer.
  • Google says it will also be "extremely vigilant" about enforcing its longstanding Dangerous and Derogatory Content policy, which prohibits any ads that promote hate or incite violence.

The big picture: Google's announcement is in line with a broader strategy that the tech giant has been using for years to prevent confusion around sensitive events.

  • For example, in March and early April, it implemented a temporary ban on advertising with COVID-19-related terms to stop confusion from spreading around fake goods or price-gouging related to the pandemic.

What's next: Google says it will "carefully examine a number of factors before deciding to lift this policy for advertisers," but that the current plan is to keep this policy in place until at least Jan. 21, after inauguration.

Flashback:

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.