Google Compliance Blog
Master Google Ads compliance — from Performance Max policies to Shopping ad rules, AI content labels, and disapproval fixes.
Colorado AI Act (SB 24-205) in 2026: High-Risk AI, Algorithmic Discrimination and What It Means for Marketers
The Colorado AI Act — the first comprehensive US state AI law — takes effect June 30, 2026. It does not regulate advertising directly, but marketers deploying AI in consequential decisions are squarely in scope.
Google Ads Healthcare and Medicines Compliance in 2026: Certification, LegitScript and Prohibited Categories
Google gates healthcare and medicines advertising behind certification, bans prescription sales without a prescription and opioid painkillers outright, and restricts pharmacies country by country.
YouTube Advertiser-Friendly Guidelines in 2026: Content Categories, Self-Certification, Inventory Modes and Brand Suitability
YouTube's advertiser-friendly content guidelines decide which videos earn ads, while inventory modes and content exclusions decide where advertisers' ads run — two linked systems that define brand safety in 2026.
EU Digital Omnibus 2026: What the GDPR and ePrivacy Simplification Proposal Could Change for Ad Tracking and Cookie Consent
The EU Digital Omnibus proposal aims to simplify GDPR and ePrivacy rules — touching cookie consent, pay-or-consent models, and the definition of personal data. It is still a proposal under negotiation. Here is what advertisers should watch.
EU AI Act Article 50 Transparency Code of Practice June 2026: What AI Ad Creative Must Disclose Before August 2
The European Commission published its Transparency Code of Practice for AI-generated content on June 10, 2026 — weeks before EU AI Act Article 50 obligations apply on August 2. Here is what advertisers using AI ad creative must label, mark, and document.
Click-to-Cancel Is Vacated — But Subscription Ad Compliance Got Harder in 2026
The Eighth Circuit vacated the FTC's Click-to-Cancel rule in July 2025 — but ROSCA, a patchwork of state auto-renewal laws and a fresh FTC rulemaking mean subscription ad compliance is harder, not easier.
Privacy Sandbox Is Gone: What the 2026 Retargeting and Measurement Reality Means for Advertiser Compliance
Google retired Topics, Protected Audience and Attribution Reporting, while third-party cookies stayed but grew unreliable — the 2026 retargeting and measurement reality.
The FTC Set Aside the Rytr Order in 2025: What the AI-Review Enforcement Shift Really Means for Advertisers
The FTC set aside its Rytr order in December 2025, signaling a softer stance on AI tools. But fake AI reviews are still illegal under the Reviews Rule, and the $53,088-per-violation penalty still stands.
Maryland's MODPA in 2026: Data Minimization, the Sensitive-Data Sale Ban and What It Means for Ad Targeting
Maryland's MODPA is the strictest US state privacy law: it bans selling sensitive data outright and forces data minimization. For advertisers it reshapes retargeting, lookalikes and sensitive-category targeting.
Consumer Health Data and Ad Targeting in 2026: My Health My Data Act, Pixel Leakage and the FTC Enforcement Wave
Health data is now the most heavily enforced ad signal in the US. Washington's My Health My Data Act adds a private right of action, and the FTC has banned firm after firm from sharing health data for ads.
Google Consent Mode v2 Enforcement in 2026: What EEA Advertisers Lose Without Proper Consent Signals
Without Consent Mode v2 signals, Google stops populating remarketing audiences and personalized features for EEA users. The cost of non-compliance is measured in lost audiences, not just fines.
Performance Max Brand Safety in 2026: Placement Transparency, Exclusions and Account-Level Controls
Performance Max automates placement across Google's network, but brand safety stays the advertiser's job. Account-level controls and new placement reporting are how you keep ads off unsafe inventory.
Dark Patterns in Your Ad Funnel: The EU Digital Fairness Act and FTC Crackdown in 2026
Countdown timers, fake scarcity and drip pricing in your ad funnel are now squarely in regulators' sights, with EU and US rules converging on manipulative design in 2026.
When Your Affiliate Cloaks a Landing Page: Brand Liability for Partner Ad Violations in 2026
A rogue affiliate cloaking a landing page can get your brand's domain banned and draw an FTC action — even though you never wrote the ad. Here is how partner liability works.
Your Chargeback Ratio Is an Ad-Account Risk: Visa VAMP and Platform Suspensions in 2026
Visa cut the chargeback threshold to 1.50% in April 2026. High dispute ratios now quietly feed the payment-risk signals that disable DTC ad accounts on Meta, Google and TikTok.
93.6% of Moderation Is Automated: How Advertisers Appeal Wrongful Removals Under the DSA
With 93.6% of platform moderation now automated, wrongful ad and account removals are inevitable. The DSA gives advertisers concrete appeal rights — here is how to use them.
AI Content Detection in Ad Platforms 2026 — C2PA, Watermarking, Metadata Forensics & Their Real Accuracy
AI content detection in 2026 runs on four overlapping layers — C2PA Content Credentials, visual watermarks like SynthID, metadata forensics, and trained classifiers — each with its own accuracy ceiling.
EU DSA Article 26 — Political Advertising Transparency: First-Year Implementation Data Across 27 Member States
EU DSA Article 26 governs political ad transparency across the EU — first-year data shows uneven member-state activity, Ireland enforcement concentration, and a tiered penalty structure.
FTC AI Endorsement Rules 2026 — 16 CFR Part 255 Application to Synthetic Content & State Equivalents
The FTC's 16 CFR Part 255 framework now applies to synthetic endorsements with per-violation penalties up to $53,088, stacking with California, Colorado, and New York laws into compound liability.
Synthetic Media Enforcement Index Q1 2026 — DSA Transparency Database Findings
Q1 2026 DSA Transparency Database snapshot — 299 million enforcement actions across eight major platforms, with the demoted-content layer, automation rates, and EU30 geographic spread broken out.
Deepfake Political Ads 2026 — Platform-by-Platform Detection, Disclosure & Advertiser Liability
Deepfake political ads 2026: where seven platform policies diverge, when FCC and FEC rules apply, and how advertiser liability shifts when synthetic likenesses appear in paid placements.
Hair-Loss Ads 2026: Where Each Platform Draws the Line
Hair-loss ads in 2026 face different platform lines. How Meta, TikTok, Google, and Pinterest draw the line on finasteride, minoxidil, and prescription routing.
Telehealth Ads Cross-Platform 2026: State Licensure Rules
Telehealth ads cross multiple platforms but few disclose state licensure constraints. How state boards, corporate practice rules, and platforms collide in 2026.
May 2026 Enforcement Digest: Who Got Banned, Fined or Paused Across 8 Platforms
May 2026 was the heaviest enforcement month of the year so far. Every advertiser-facing action across the eight major platforms — bans, fines, pauses, and the patterns brands need to read before June.
AI Avatars in Your Ads: The June 9 New York Law That Could Pull Your Creative Overnight
On June 9 every visual or audiovisual ad distributed to New York audiences that uses an AI-generated human likeness must conspicuously disclose it. The 3-week creative audit brands need now.
Carbon Neutral Is About to Be Illegal in the EU: Greenwashing Cleanup Before Sep 27
From September 27, generic green claims and offset-based carbon neutrality are illegal across the EU — with fines up to 10 percent of turnover. The greenwashing cleanup fashion and DTC brands need now.
Your Cancel Button Is the Next FTC Lawsuit: Subscription Compliance After Click-to-Cancel
The FTC's Click-to-Cancel rule got vacated — and enforcement got worse, not better. Match, Chegg and Amazon are mid-fight. Here is the cancellation-flow audit that protects your 2026 revenue.
US State Privacy Laws 2026: Universal Opt-Out Is Now Mandatory for Advertisers
As of January 1, 2026, Global Privacy Control is effectively mandatory across a dozen states and CCPA requires you to prove opt-outs were processed. Coordinated AG sweeps are live. Here is the advertiser workflow.
TikTok Synthetic Media Policy 2026: How It Differs from Meta and Google AI Disclosure Rules
TikTok mandates AI labels Meta only recommends, and the same synthetic video can be removed in Germany while it stays up elsewhere. How TikTok's rules diverge from Meta and Google in 2026.
SaaS & Tech Advertising Compliance 2026: Data Consent, AI Claims, and B2B Enforcement Risk
SaaS and tech ad risk lives in tracking consent, AI capability claims, and subscription terms — not the product. Platform data rules, GDPR, FTC AI posture, and a 2026 pre-launch workflow.