Google has decided to halt all political advertisements on its platforms in South Korea before the upcoming general election.
South Korea Election
On its website, Google stated, "In South Korea, the following is prohibited on Google platforms: Ads featuring political candidates or parties for elected offices of South Korea."
South Korea is poised for parliamentary elections on April 10, with early voting scheduled for Apr. 5-6.
Google suspended political ads in South Korea ahead of the elections to prevent voters from being exposed to potentially exaggerated or biased content. This decision aims to maintain the integrity of the electoral process and ensure that users have access to accurate and reliable information without the influence of political advertisements.
The suspension encompasses Google services such as YouTube, Google Search, and the Google Play Store.
In addition to suspending political ads, Google plans to provide users with helpful links on its homepage that lead to trustworthy information about voting procedures and voter registration. The tech giant will also present election-related information panels in YouTube search results to connect users with credible sources of information.
Earlier this year, Google also announced that they would be limiting election-related answers in its Gemini AI chatbot, according to VCPost.
"We take our responsibility for providing high-quality information for these types of queries seriously, and are continuously working to improve our protections," Google wrote in a blog post.
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