Google Stops Ads for Adult Content

Starting sometime next month, no more adult ads in Germany

[sudden]

Just got word from Google regarding some client accounts in Germany - Google will no longer deliver any ads for web sites with sexual content in Germany, starting sometime in November.

Might be quite a policy change. Or just a local legal matter, German laws are very strict in some of these matters. Did anybody from a different country get similar information?

[Brett_Tabke]

Can anyone confirm?

[hunderdown]

Doesn't this belong in Google AdSense?

[ThomasB]

I heard that Google was discussing it so I wouldn't be too surprised if it's true.

I think it would belong into AdWords and AdSense as it's hard to bid on sth that is no longer available. It's also hard to display relevant ads for sites where you don't have the required ads.

[Marval]

Wondering what the exact wording of this word you got was - is it related to web sites "located" in Germany that they will not allow advertising for or not allowing the delivery of the ads in content to German surfers? If you have the actual notification it would be helpful?

[lgn1]

The last time I was in Germany in the late 70's, they had coke billboards, with a naked lady sitting in a tub of ice, holding a coke (and no the coke bottle was not hiding anything).

Strange, that you can have adult content on bill boards in Germany and not in Google. Maybe a lot has changed in Germany in 30 years.

[garyr_h]

The last time I was in Germany in the late 70's, they had coke billboards, with a naked lady sitting in a tub of ice, holding a coke (and no the coke bottle was not hiding anything).

Strange, that you can have adult content on bill boards in Germany and not in Google. Maybe a lot has changed in Germany in 30 years.

Well... seeing as how 30 years ago there were 2 Germanies and not just one... I would think lots have changed :P

[jtbell]

The last time I was in Germany in the late 70's, they had coke billboards, with a naked lady sitting in a tub of ice, holding a coke (and no the coke bottle was not hiding anything).

Nudity is one thing. Graphic depictions of sexual activity are another. I don't know the specific legal details, but I wouldn't be surprised if German law doesn't include the former in "adult content" but does include the latter.

[sudden]

In general, the laws are more or less the same as in most other western countries. However, there are very tight regulations regarding the access of minors to hardcore adult content. So far, Google did not check if a web site violated these regulations. Overture Germany on the other hand does check this for quite some time now. But I donīt know it this has anything to do with Googleīs policy change.

The email says, users located in Germany will not see any adult ads, neither on Google.de or any other Google domain. This seems to include all adult ads, regardless of the adīs language or its origin. However, ads rated as "non-family" still should be displayed. Whatever that means.