Google plans to implement new verification checks for people purchasing political ads in the run-up to this year’s US midterm elections – Demanding that users must prove they are US citizens or permanent residents.

This move comes as the company looks to introduce more transparency in its advertising methods and prevent the misuse of target-focused ads in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Allegations that social media platforms were manipulated by Russian propaganda teams have forced the hands of companies including Facebook and Google, encouraging them to take greater steps to prevent further damaging incidents. It is believed that anywhere up to 90 million Americans were affected by Cambridge Analytica’s illicit use of data to target and manipulate voters.

Google’s policy changes reflect those made by both Facebook and Twitter and will introduce tighter regulations about who can buy space for political advertisements.

Stricter Guidelines

Google’s Senior Vice President, Kent Walker, revealed the move in a blog post last Friday and underlined the company’s commitment to implementing tighter regulations. He said: “Last year, Google committed to make political advertising more transparent. This week, we’re rolling out new policies for U.S. election ads across our platforms as we work to meet those commitments.”

Going into detail, Walker said: “As a first step, we’ll now require additional verification for anyone who wants to purchase an election ad on Google in the U.S. and require that advertisers confirm they are a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, as required by law.

“That means advertisers will have to provide a government-issued ID and other key information. To help people better understand who is paying for an election ad, we’re also requiring that ads incorporate a clear disclosure of who is paying for it.”

Establishing clear-cut rules on who is paying for election ads is an issue that has been raised in the wake of the 2016 US Elections. Shady operations involving Russian propaganda outfits seriously damaged confidence in Facebook’s ad system. A number of Russian citizens and firms have been indicted since 2016 as the investigation unfolds.

Google says these verification steps will initially focus primarily on US elections, however as time passes the firm hopes to expand these regulations to other elections and campaigns; this could eventually apply to voting at a more local level.

More to Come

Walker says Google aren’t stopping here, however, stating in his post that “there’s more to come” as Google looks to develop a more transparent digital environment. He said: “This summer, we’ll also release a new Transparency Report specifically focused on election ads. This Report will describe who ​is ​buying ​election-related ​ads ​on ​our ​platforms ​and ​how ​much ​money ​is being spent.”

Google also plans to create a searchable digital library for election ads which will allow anyone to find details on election ads purchased through Google and also establish who paid for the advertisements.

“We’re also building a searchable library for election ads, where anyone can find election ads purchased on Google and who paid for them” said Walker.

Although this initial first step to ensuring transparency could alleviate future pressure on the firm, Google plans to continue working with industry, media and government officials to fine-tune their advertisement mechanisms, with Walker stating:

“As we learn from these changes and our continued engagement with leaders and experts in the field, we’ll work to improve transparency of political issue ads and expand our coverage to a wider range of elections.”

Battling Fake News

Fake news was a primary focus of the media not only during the US Elections but throughout the Brexit referendum campaign and several subsequent elections worldwide. To combat the rise of fake news and misinformation Google plans to work with the media industry to introduce dedicated monitoring of misinformation.

The firm will support the Disinfo Lab at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center, which Walker says will “employ journalists to leverage computational tools to monitor misinformation in the run-up to and during elections.”

Google will also partner with America’s National Cyber Security Alliance and the Digital Democracy Project at Harvard Kennedy Schools’ Belfer Center; funding security training programs for elected officials, campaigns and staff members to improve security practices.