Google has banned eight different adverts by Conservatives over the last month for violating the company's advertising policies, The Independent reported.
According to the report, six of the adverts were banned on the day the Labour Party launched its manifesto. The ban comes amid mounting concerns about the Conservatives' use of disinformation and fake news as a campaign tool for the general election, The Independent reported.
Google would not reveal the content of the prohibited adverts or the specific reasons that they were taken down.
According to the company’s guidelines, “we value honesty and fairness, so we don’t allow the promotion of products or services that are designed to enable dishonest behaviour”.
In November, Google said in a statement that it currently offers political advertisers three formats: search ads, which appear on Google after a search for a particular issue; ads that appear on YouTube videos; and display ads, which appear on websites.
According to the statement, the new rules will enter into force in the United Kingdom within a week, and in EU nations — by the end of the year. Other countries will see the changes on 6 January.
The UK is gearing up for a snap general election on 12 December, called by the ruling Conservatives to end uncertainty around the terms of the nation’s exit from the European Union, possibly by the end of next January.
