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Why is Google still serving dodgy ads?

2026-09-13 | original

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Why This Matters

A user reports that a YouTube ad mimicking an iOS system storage warning was repeatedly reported and repeatedly cleared by Google's review process, even though Google's own Gemini model flags it as violating Google's ad policies on misleading design and deceptive claims. It highlights a gap between the AI capabilities ad platforms sell to others and the enforcement they apply to their own inventory, where deceptive ads are lucrative.

Key Takeaways

A deceptive ad imitating an iPhone storage alert stayed live after multiple user reports, with Google replying it didn't violate policy.
Google's own Gemini model classified the same ad as DISAPPROVED for misleading ad design and deceptive claims.
The author suggests human review simply can't scale, but notes the uncomfortable incentive that high-clicking deceptive ads make money.

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TLDR:

AI is really good at detecting deceptive adverts - why isn’t Google using it?

A couple of months ago I noticed this advert popping up in the YouTube app. The main reason I noticed it is that I accidentally clicked it - I knew I was running out of space on my iPhone and a minor lapse of concentration caught me out.

These things can slip through even the best review processes, so I did my internet duty and reported the advert.

The response I got back was less than satisfactory:

Again, sometimes things slip through the net and people don’t always check things properly, so I reported it again. And got the same response.

In fact, multiple people have reported this advert and received the same:

We found that the ad doesn’t go against Google’s policies, which prohibit certain content and practices that we believe to be harmful to users and the overall online ecosystem.

I’m a big fan of Hanlon’s razor.

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity

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