Google has released a python script tool to assist advertisers in removing ads that violate terms of service. The tool is not officially supported, but it is intended to assist advertisers in complying with Google’s new Three Strikes policy for enforcing violations of Google Ads Policies.
Advertisement Enforcement Through Strikes
Google announced a crackdown on repeat violators of their Google Ads Policies in July 2021. The enforcement procedure is to first issue a warning, followed by three strikes for each type of violation.
The advertiser’s account is suspended after the third strike unless the suspension is successfully appealed.
The strike-based enforcement was described on the Google help page as follows:
“To help ensure a safe and positive experience for users, Google requires advertisers to comply with Google Ads policies.
As a part of the Google Ads enforcement system, Google will begin issuing strikes to advertisers, which will be accompanied by email notifications and in-account notifications to encourage compliance and deter repeat violations of our policies.”
Google Ads That Can Lead to Account Suspension
Google Ads policies that Google is concerned about are designed to provide a high-quality user experience for those who view Google Ads advertisements.
Google is on the lookout for the following policy violations:
- Enabling dishonest behavior
- Unapproved substances
- Guns
- gun parts and related products
- Explosives
- Other Weapons
- Tobacco
The preceding is only a partial list. Other policy violation types may be added to the list, according to Google’s help page for the strike-based system.
Google Bowling Automatic Disapproved Ads Remover
Google announced on their developer blog that they will be releasing an auditing tool called “bowling” (a play on the word strike) to help advertisers identify and remove problematic advertisements.
The auditing tool was created to assist advertisers in avoiding the permanent suspension of their Google Ads accounts.
According to the announcement:
“…Bowling is a mitigation tool allowing clients to act and remove disapproved ads before risking account suspension.
The tool audits (and offers the option to delete) disapproved ads that may lead eventually to account suspension in perpetuity.”
Google’s Bowling application has two modes:
- Audit mode
- Remove mode
The remove mode deletes unapproved advertisements while also creating a log file.
Ads Remover Tool Comes with a Disclaimer
While this is a Google-created Python script, the Bowling tool’s GitHub repository includes a disclaimer that distances Google from the tool.
The first part of the disclaimer is as follows:
“This is not an officially supported Google product. Copyright 2021 Google LLC. This solution, including any related sample code or data, is made available on an “as is,” “as available,” and “with all faults” basis, solely for illustrative purposes, and without warranty or representation of any kind. This solution is experimental, unsupported and provided solely for your convenience.”
Three Strikes Bowling Tool by Google
The Google Bowling tool is intended to assist advertisers in being proactive in the removal of problematic advertisements. However, it does not come with a warranty.
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