Google is allowing ads that show misleading information regarding voting by mail, The Washington Post reported. The tech giant reportedly took five days to review the ads in question before approving them. Now, some are questioning the ad policies and whether Google is prepared to respond to election-related misinformation.

The ads, created by a group known as Protect My Vote, appeared after people in certain states — including Florida, Michigan, Iowa, Arizona, Texas and Georgia — searched for “mail-in voting.” One of them has text that reads, in part, “think mail-in voting and absentee voting are the same. Think again! There are different safeguards for each.” This, the Post points out, isn’t true. In Texas, for example, there are not distinct processes for absentee voting and voting by mail. Clicking on the ads leads to the group’s website, which contains further misinformation. Facebook already removed similar ads from the same group.

Google’s ad policy already forbids advertisers from misrepresenting themselves, but the policy change will prohibit advertisers from working together to distribute misinformation and concealing their affiliations. This could include, for example, a spammy marketing company that creates ads that look like newspaper articles, Smith said. The new policy, should it be broken, will enable Google to take action not just against an individual advertiser but also the network they’re working with.

The other policy change will prohibit advertisers from using hacked and leaked political material in advertisements, or directly linking to it. Discussion of these materials is still allowed, but advertisers cannot give direct access to them. An example of this, Smith said, would be a screenshot of an email that was part of the 2016 leaked Hillary Clinton email archive.

These policy changes are the latest in Google’s ongoing work to combat disinformation in ads. In recent weeks, the tech giant has also banned coronavirus conspiracy ads and ads for ‘intimate partner surveillance’ tech.

Starting August 11th, Google is banning advertisements for “stalkerware” apps and hardware, which enable someone to track the phone activity or movement of another person. These apps and hardware tend to be used for “intimate partner surveillance,” according to an update on Google’s advertising policies change log. The apps are already banned in Google and Apple’s app stores, however some still slip through while others are available directly on developers’ websites.

The update further specifies that affected products include, “spyware/malware that can be used to monitor texts, phone calls, or browsing history; GPS trackers specifically marketed to spy or track someone without their consent; promotion of surveillance equipment (cameras, audio recorders, dash cams, nanny cams) marketed with the express purpose of spying.” Accounts that violate the policy will be suspended, according to the update.

The business assistance includes a $200 million fund for financial institutions and non-governmental organizations to help small businesses get funds. All small businesses with active accounts over the past year will have access to a pool of $340 million in Google Ads credits.

Google’s remaining funds include $250 million in ad grants for the WHO and government agencies to provide vital information (a leap from $25 million in February) and $20 million Google Cloud credits for academics using remote computing power to study possible treatments and track data. On top of this, Google is raising its employees’ annual donation matching limit from $7,500 to $10,000.

Google isn’t alone among tech companies in contributing extensive resources to dealing with the pandemic. However, this is clearly a large contribution — and one that might be necessary as infection rates surge in the US and prompt widespread store closures.

Gibmedia manages websites offering everything from weather forecasts to corporate data and directions, and Google claims the company ran deceptive ads. In a statement provided to Engadget, a Google spokesperson said:

“People expect to be protected from exploitative and abusive ads and this is what our advertising policies are for. Gibmedia was running ads for websites that deceived people into paying for services on unclear billing terms. We do not want these kinds of ads on our systems, so we suspended Gibmedia and gave up advertising revenue to protect consumers from harm. We will appeal this decision.”

France has been slapping Google with fines for years — a €100,000 fine in 2011 for improper data collection during its Street View sweeps, a €150,000 fine in 2014 for violating privacy laws, another €100,000 in 2016 for breaking Europe’s “right to be forgotten” law. More recently, France fined the company $57 million for allegedly failing to provide transparent, “easily accessible” data consent policies, and Google agreed to pay $1.1 billion for failing to properly declare its tax activities in the country.

Earlier this year, French President Emmanuel Macron proposed a three percent tax on revenues earned on digital services in France. In response, President Trump threatened to tax French wine. Trump and Macron reportedly reached a deal that’s expected to reduce that tax burden, but that won’t stop France from hitting Google with fines like this one.