Blending URL line into background

[david_uk]

I recently saw an implementation whereby the publisher had made the URL white, to blend in with the white background. The color picker let's you do this, but that doesn't mean to say it's within TOS.

Does anybody have views on the legality of the practice?

[jomaxx]

Try it on a test page. Google will override your color choices if you make the text and the background too close to the same color.

Any non-premium publisher who has succeeded in doing this must be changing the code provided, which is obviously completely against the TOS.

[david_uk]

Yes, must be a premium publisher. It wouldn't generate the code for white URL on white background - defaulted to generic theme. Also, if you change the code manually it defaults to black text for the URL line.

[John Carpenter]

It is definitely against the Google AdSense Program Policies at [google.com...]

"Elements on a page must not obscure any portion of the ads, and the ad colors must be such that any ad elements, including text and URL, are visible."

(I already asked ASA here whether this applies to "blending" by matching border color with page background color. The border is an ad element and many of us hide it this way. There was no reply, unless I missed it.)

[ken_b]

Any non-premium publisher who has succeeded in doing this must be changing the code provided, which is obviously completely against the TOS.

That's not always true.

It's true that regular publishers usually are not allowed to do things like this, but they might be if they are in a beta test program.

I'm not saying that's the case here, but it could be.

[Frequent]

I know I've seen ad units without the url on at least one of my sites. I assumed they were testing or it was due to the size of the adblock. (I am NOT a premium publisher.)

Freq---

[davelms]

"I assumed they were testing or it was due to the size of the adblock"

Yeah some adblock dimensions don't display the URL at all, 468x60 being one of them (in my experience) when two ads are being shown (when one ad gets shown in the 468x60 then the URL reappears).

[mike73]

My borders are white on a white background. Is that a violation? Is the border an "ad element"?

[Zygoot]

My borders are white on a white background. Is that a violation?

No, that's not a violation.