Google introduces new policies for US election ad transparency

Advertisers will also have to provide a government-issued ID and other key information. The advert wills also be required to incorporate a clear disclosure of who is paying for them to keep people better informed.

Google will come out with a Transparency Report in summer which will describe who is buying election-related ads on our platforms and how much money is being spent.

The company has also partnered with the National Cyber Security Alliance and Digital Democracy Project at the Belfer Center at Harvard Kennedy School to fund security training programs for elected officials, campaigns, and staff members.

Google is also supporting the “Disinfo Lab” at the Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center, which will employ journalists to leverage computational tools to monitor misinformation in the run-up to and during elections.

Kent Walker, senior vice president, public policy, Google said: "We announced improvements to one such product. Google’s Advanced Protection Program, our strongest level of account security for those who face increased risk of sophisticated phishing attacks sent to their email address, now supports Apple’s native applications on iOS devices, including Apple Mail, Calendar and Contacts. We expect this will help more campaigns and officials who are often the targets of sophisticated phishing attacks.

"We’ve built products that provide information about elections around the world, to help voters make decisions on the leadership of their communities, their cities, their states and their countries. We are continuing that work through our efforts to increase election advertising transparency, to improve online security for campaigns and candidates, and to help combat misinformation. Stay tuned for more announcements in the coming months."