Upcoming changes to Google's publisher policies

Current publishers about the upcoming changes to Google's publisher policies through email and our change log. Effective today, those policy changes have launched across our publisher products (AdSense, AdMob, and Ad Manager). There’s no action for you to take right now, other than to review this email, the AdSense Help Center, and the AdSense Policy Center to ensure your content remains in compliance.


What’s changed:
As of today, we’ve simplified the way our publisher content policies are presented with a clear breakdown of the types of content where advertising is not allowed or will be restricted:
• Google Publisher Policies, which outline the types of content that are not allowed to show ads through any of our publisher products.
• Google Publisher Restrictions, which outline the types of content that will receive limited monetization.


What it means for you as an AdSense publisher:
Monetizing content that falls under the Google Publisher Restrictions is no longer a policy violation; instead, we will restrict advertising on that content as appropriate, based on the preferences of each advertising product and/or advertisers’ individual preferences. In some cases this will mean that no advertising sources are bidding on your inventory and no ads will appear on this content. As a result, while you may choose to monetize content covered by the Google Publisher Restrictions, you will likely receive less advertising on this restricted content than you would receive on other, nonrestricted content.


Content that falls under the Google Publisher Policies is not allowed to be monetized and you should not place ads against that content. Attempting to monetize policy-violating content may result in your account(s) being suspended or terminated.


As a result of these changes, we will be updating the AdSense Policy Center with two new columns: “Must fix” and “Ad serving status”. The “Must fix” column will indicate if there is an issue that must be fixed because it is a policy violation. The “Ad serving status” column will show if ads are not being served due to a policy violation or if demand is restricted. As before, the AdSense Policy Center gives detailed information about issues that may restrict ads from appearing on your sites, site sections, and pages, as well as how to resolve issues with ad serving and request reviews.
Please note that these policies and restrictions apply in addition to any other policies governing your use of Google publisher products.


What you need to do:
The AdSense Help Center and Policy Center have been updated with the full breakdown of policies and restrictions. Please review these to better understand the changes that were made, and to ensure your content remains in compliance.
Note that going forward, Google will be announcing updates to our policies and restrictions for AdSense on this change log. Publishers are required to keep abreast of changes to policies and be in compliance with them at all times.

https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/9336650

A Look Back At The Privacy Changes That Reshaped Google

Google removes third-party pixels on YouTube
YouTube to block third-party ad serving in the EU
Google sharply limits the DoubleClick ID
DoubleClick no more!
Transparency and Consent Framework misfires
Google Chrome dials up browser privacy protections
Publishers lash out against Unified Pricing changes
Google’s ad business undergoes massive reorganization

Project Soli

Project Soli first turned heads at Google I/O 2015, where it showed off this tiny but mighty sensor and some tantalizing potential uses for Soli's low-power radar sensor system, using it to seek within a song, adjust volume, and so much more without having to touch a button or screen at all. This ATAP project, headed by former Disney Imagineer Ivan Poupyrev, blew our minds with a sensor smaller than your pinky nail — 8mm by 10mm — that could be theoretically be used to revolutionize the way we interact with technology, especially in smaller devices like wearables, which ATAP built. 2016 was a relatively quiet year as Soli continued to work towards building out a standard for a radar-based interface for electronic devices like smartwatches, phones, and other wearable devices. ATAP did make some concept watches with Soli sensors in them, and as you can see from the 2016 I/O demonstration above and a hands-on from The Verge, there were still kinks to work out, but the potential was there.

The obscure law that explains why Google backs climate deniers

When Eric Schmidt was asked on a radio show in 2014 why Google was supporting an ultra-conservative climate-denying pressure group in Washington, the then chairman of the internet giant offered an unequivocal response: it was wrong and Google was not going to do it again.

Google’s New Policy Ends Ban Of Publishers On Adsense, Admob, Ads Manager?: Bloggers who monetize their website with Google AdSense are faced with a lot of policies to adhere in order not to get their account banned or suspended.

Major highlights

1. The new Google Publisher Policies page will outline content that cannot be monetized, such as illegal content, dangerous or derogatory, or sexually explicit content.

2. The Google Publisher Restrictions page will list the specific types of content that doesn’t necessarily violate content policies, but may not be appealing for some advertisers: “Publishers will not receive a policy violation for trying to monetize this content, but only some advertisers and advertising products will bid on it.”

3. Google reports it removed 734,000 publishers and app developers from it ad network last year for violating publisher policies.

Employees accuse Google of surveillance at workplace

Some Google employees have charged the tech giant of workplace surveillance, saying they are allegedly being watched via a browser extension in the Calendar app. The company was yet to issue a statement on this. Some Google employees have charged the tech giant of workplace surveillance, saying they are allegedly being watched via a browser extension in the Calendar app. According to an MIT Technology Review report citing a memo obtained by Bloomberg, the browser extension "would automatically report staffers who create a calendar event with more than 10 rooms or 100 participants." This appears to be a move to "spy on worker" attempts to organize against the company, at a time when there has been a series of global walkouts and protests over sexual harassment at the workplace to Google's participation in the controversial Pentagon's JEDI project.

Monopolization in the Name of Privacy: Google Is Slowly But Steadily Closing Its Advertising Ecosystem


“Google’s latest encryption threat is not an isolated maneuver but instead represents part of a broader strategy aimed at closing its advertising ecosystem to third-party providers.”

Google Advances The Ball For Online Gaming In The U.S., With A Boost From Sports Betting

Google is planning to unblock online casino advertisements in the regulated U.S. gambling market in early 2020, according to a recent EGR report. The lift on casino ads in markets where it is legalized and regulated should help the industry get traction, boost revenues, and pave the way for other states to come online. Importantly, it should also help offset the imbalance between
(1) nascent legal, regulated industry participants and
(2) established offshore operators of questionable credibility.

Google, the largest publisher for internet advertising, has had a longstanding ban on advertisements for online casinos in U.S. markets. It is a bit of a puzzler in markets where online gaming is legal and regulated. And the ban has primarily served to stymie growth for industry players that are doing it right, i.e. operating with licenses and within the confines of the law. Google’s decision to remove the ban on online casino ads follows a series of related ban-lifts in sports betting and fantasy sports by the search megalith in recent months:

Google opened the gates for sports betting ads in states where the practice is legalized and regulated, including New Jersey, Nevada, and West Virginia. Google announced that it also will start to allow sports betting ads in Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, with those states’ development of regulated sports betting. (Sports betting is taking hold across states after a May 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down an earlier federal ban on sports betting; more states are likely to come online, and within Google’s policy, in the coming months. See more detail below.) Google lifted the ban for online fantasy sports ads in August of this year, opening advertising to licensed advertisers in the fantasy sports industry.

Madison Public Library decries Macmillan Publishing's new e-book policy

Starting Nov. 1, it may be more difficult for Madison readers to find some of their favorite titles as e-books. Macmillan Publishers, one of the five largest print publishers in the world, is making policy changes regarding electronic books that will affect the availability of brand new titles at public libraries, including Madison's.

Macmillan will impose a limit of one digital copy of new releases for public libraries and impose an eight-week embargo on libraries purchasing additional copies. The change means that hold times for new releases will be significantly longer and libraries’ ability to keep up with providing access to popular new releases will be diminished.

The Google Publisher Policies covers articles and pages that are not allowed to have ads through AdSense, AdMob, or Ad Manager. Attempting to monetize policy-violating content may result in a suspension or account termination.