Google cracked down on 2.9 million ad accounts during India’s Lok Sabha election year
New Delhi: In a sweeping global crackdown on digital advertising violations, Google said that it took down over 2.9 million ad accounts originating from India during the 2024 Lok Sabha election year.
The tech giant disclosed this data in its 2024 Ads Safety Report, noting a significant increase in enforcement actions compared to the previous year. As cited by The Indian Express on Thursday, Google blocked or removed more than 10.7 million election-related ads from unverified advertisers globally—up 46 percent from 7.3 million in 2023.
“The volume of election ads compared to our overall numbers is very small. But it’s a very important set, which is why we take additional focus on election ads. The big outlier at the top-level is accounts suspended, and those were more for broader concerns around scams or fraud,” IE report quoted Alex Rodriguez, General Manager, Ads Safety, Google, as saying.
Although Rodriguez declined to disclose the percentage of overall election ads in 2024, he emphasised that 2024 saw numerous political parties spending substantial sums of money on digital advertising campaigns in the run up to the general elections.
According to the saffron party’s expenditure report on contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—which returned to power for a third consecutive term—spent Rs 156.95 crore on advertisements through Google-owned platforms, and an additional Rs 24.63 crore on Meta platforms.
Google said that it blocked or removed a total of 5.1 billion ads last year and 39.2 million advertiser accounts globally, a dramatic increase from 12.7 million advertiser accounts in 2023, the report added. Out of the 39.2 million, around 2.9 million suspended ad accounts were registered in India. The majority of these accounts were taken down before they served a single ad, the search giant clarified.
A concerning trend identified in 2024 was the rise in public figure impersonation scams, where malicious actors used AI-generated images and audio to falsely an affiliation from celebrities or politicians. Rodriguez noted that these elements were promoted widely as advertisements on Google’s platforms.
Apart from removing policy-violating ads, Google also restricts content that may be legally contentious or culturally inappropriate based on the audience and the region.
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Chhattisgarh Vedanta power plant blast: Death toll rises to 20; sixteen workers undergoing treatment
Sakti (Chhattisgarh) (PTI): The death toll in a blast at the Vedanta power plant in Chhattisgarh's Sakti district has mounted to 20 with seven more workers succumbing to injuries, while 16 others are undergoing treatment at different hospitals, officials said on Wednesday.
The deceased include six labourers from West Bengal, five from Chhattisgarh, three each from Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, two from Bihar, and one from Madhya Pradesh.
The opposition Congress has demanded registration of an FIR against the plant management and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
The explosion occurred on Tuesday afternoon in a steel tube carrying high-pressure steam from the boiler to the turbine at the Vedanta Ltd power plant located in Singhitarai village, leaving several workers with severe burn injuries.
According to officials, four workers died on the spot, while nine others succumbed to injuries soon after the incident.
Seven more workers have died in hospitals, raising the toll to 20, Sakti Collector Amrit Vikas Topno told PTI on Wednesday.
He said that a total of 36 workers were affected in the blast, and 20 of them died.
"Of the 16 injured workers, five are undergoing treatment in hospitals in Raipur, while 11 others are in hospitals of Raigarh, the neighbouring district of Sakti," he added.
Topno added that every possible effort was being made to provide the best medical treatment to the injured.
The deceased were identified, and their family members are being contacted. Arrangements have been made to transport the mortal remains to their native villages via ambulance following the postmortem examination and to provide immediate financial assistance, he said.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of each deceased worker and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
Vedanta Power has also announced a Rs 35 lakh compensation for the family of each deceased worker, along with employment support.
The company will also provide Rs 15 lakh to each injured person, ensure salary continuation until recovery, and offer counselling support, a statement from the plant management said.
The chief minister has ordered an inquiry by the Commissioner of the Bilaspur division, assuring strict action against the guilty.
He directed officials to ensure free and proper medical treatment for all injured and emphasised that no negligence in their care would be tolerated.
The district administration has also ordered a separate magisterial probe, while the company has initiated its own internal investigation.
Collector Topno has appointed the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Dabhra to conduct the magisterial inquiry.
The SDM has been asked to submit a report within 30 days covering key aspects, including the cause of the accident, whether it was due to technical or human error, and details of safety inspections carried out at the plant.
Meanwhile, the opposition Congress has demanded registration of an FIR against the plant management and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
State Congress communication wing head Sushil Anand Shukla on Wednesday alleged negligence on the plant management's part and accused the government of attempting to shield those responsible.
He also demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of the deceased and Rs 50 lakh for the injured.
The construction of a 1,200 MW coal-based thermal power project (two units of 600 MW each) in Singhitarai, originally owned by Athena Chhattisgarh Power Ltd, started in 2009, but remained stalled between 2016 and 2022.
Vedanta acquired the plant in 2022, after which a 600 MW unit was completed and commissioned in August last year, while the second unit is still under construction.
The deceased have been identified as Amrit Lal Patel, Thanda Ram Lahre, Udhab Singh Yadav, Rameshwar Mahilange, and Nadeem Ansari (all from Chhattisgarh); Susanta Jana, Sheikh Saifuddin, Manas Giri, Kailash Mahto, Shibnath Murmu, and Dipankar Singh (West Bengal), Tarun Kumar Ojha, Abdul Karim and Ashok Parhiya (Jharkhand), Raju Ram, Pappu Kumar and Brijesh Kumar (Uttar Pradesh), Aakib Khan and Ritesh Kumar (Bihar), and Chitranjan Dhulai of Madhya Pradesh, officials said.
