It’s a major crackdown on malicious advertisers.

In a move aimed at strengthening trust and accountability in digital advertising, Google has announced an update to its Ads Transparency policy that will make it easier for users to identify who is funding online ads.

The update, which will roll out in two phases starting May 2025, will display additional information about the entities paying for ads across Google’s platforms. This initiative is part of Google's ongoing effort to improve transparency, combat misinformation, and hold advertisers accountable for the content they promote.

Phase 1: Automatic disclosure begins now

Beginning this month, Google will start showing the payment profile name as the payer name for verified advertisers, but only if it differs from their verified advertiser name. In the case of verified agency accounts, Google will display the client's payment profile name as the payer name, again only when it differs from the agency's verified advertiser name.

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This new information will be visible to users in the "My Ad Center" and the Ads Transparency Center—tools designed to give users more control over and insight into the ads they see.

Agencies currently verified as direct advertisers are being urged to reset and complete verification as agencies by 31 May 2025, to ensure the correct payer name is displayed.

Failing to do so could result in the agency’s name being mistakenly shown as the ad funder.

Phase 2: Editable payer name option in June

Starting in June 2025, advertisers will gain the ability to edit their displayed payer name through the advertiser verification page under the Billing section. Once updated, this custom name will replace the default payment profile name across Google's transparency tools.
For new Google Ads accounts, the default payer name will continue to be the payment profile name unless modified during the verification process.

A special case: Election ads

Advertisers verified to run Election Ads have already provided payer information as part of a more stringent verification process. Their displayed payer name will remain governed by existing Election Ads policies. If an election advertiser wants to change their payer name, they must complete the election ad verification again.

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What this means for bad actors

The upcoming policy changes are not just about transparency — they also close critical loopholes that have been exploited by bad actors. Thus, the changes:

• Reduce identity cloaking: Previously, malicious advertisers could operate under front companies while funding ads from a hidden entity. With payer names exposed, it's harder to obscure who is truly behind the ad spend.
   
• Weaken coordinated influence campaigns: Disinformation networks and coordinated manipulation efforts often rely on shell advertisers to spread content under different names. By surfacing the funding source, these campaigns become easier to trace and disrupt.
   
• Improve agency accountability: Some agencies have been known to run campaigns for questionable clients under their own names. With client payment profiles now potentially visible, agencies will need to be more careful about who they represent.
   
• Support regulatory compliance: The changes align with increasing regulatory scrutiny around ad disclosures, especially in elections, finance, and healthcare.

Google's policy update marks a significant step forward in advertising transparency — both for users who want to know who is behind the messages they see and for regulators and watchdogs seeking to hold advertisers accountable.

Google is the first major tech corporation to move towards a cleaner and more trustworthy ad ecosystem, complying thus with the European Union’s Digital Services Act and dealing a blow to fake or misleading content creators.