**Google Eliminates Voting Scam Advertisements Before 2024 Elections, Report Indicates**

Google has allegedly removed misleading ads connected to voting that had appeared in past election cycles, according to a recent report from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), a research initiative within the watchdog group Campaign for Accountability.

TTP recently carried out a set of tests using Google’s search engine to determine if typical voting-related queries led users to fraudulent ads. The search phrases examined included terms like “how to vote,” “how to register to vote,” “early voting,” and “when is voting.”

During both the 2020 and 2022 elections, similar inquiries had revealed scam ads, the report observed. These ads offered fake services that charged fees for voter registration, delivered misleading or ineffective information, and directed users to sites that gathered personal data or installed malicious software, such as “browser hijackers” that redirected users to ad-laden websites.

However, when TTP performed its most recent testing from October 1 to 10, 2024, none of the previously observed scam ads were found. Instead, the majority of the ads highlighted legitimate voter education resources and organizations.

The tests were conducted using a “clean” version of the Google Chrome browser, which had been logged out and lacked any prior browsing history. Researchers also utilized virtual private networks (VPNs) to ascertain if search results differed by location. In total, TTP analyzed 198 ads.

Google did not provide a response to TTP’s request for comment, according to the organization’s blog post. Mashable also contacted Google for comment but had not received a reply by the time of publication.

TTP’s findings imply that Google possesses the ability to effectively enforce its advertising policies, particularly during pivotal periods like elections. “The findings suggest that Google is capable of enforcing its advertising policies and preventing unscrupulous actors from exploiting potential voters during the lead-up to an election,” the organization noted in its blog post.