Google Ads Sends Suspension Email Threats For Non-Compliant GDPR Consent Banners

Google is now sending emails to publishers, app owners, and others if their sites and apps are not compliant with the GDPR EU User Consent Policy. The email says, "We may take action, including suspension, if the Policy violations have not been resolved."

Thomas Eccel posted a screenshot of this email on X and wrote, "Google EU Policy Team has sent out emails for websites with non-compliant GDPR Consent Banners. If until the given deadline, the Consent Banner has not been fixed, "including suspension" of the Google Ads Account may be taken into consideration."

The email reads:

The EU User Consent Policy outlines your responsibility as a user of our ad technology to:

• Obtain EEA along with UK end users' consent to:
• the use of cookies or other local storage where legally required; and
• the collection, sharing, and use of personal data for personalization of ads.
• Identify each party that may collect, receive or use end users' personal data as a consequence of your use of a Google product.
• Provide end users with prominent and easily accessible information about those parties' use of personal data

You can refer to our Policy help page for more information on complying with Google's Policy including a checklist for partners to avoid common mistakes when implementing a consent mechanism. We also recommend that you consult with your legal department regarding your compliance with the GDPR and Google's policies.

These were sent to some advertisers in the European region, I am told.

Here is the post:

Google EU Policy Team has sent out emails for websites with non-compliant GDPR Consent Banners. 🛡

If until the given deadline, the Consent Banner has not been fixed,
"including suspension"❗of the Google Ads Account may be taken into consideration. 🤐#ppc #ppcchat #googleads pic.twitter.com/gM1RSzuxNh

— Thomas Eccel 🌀 (@ThomasEccel) January 23, 2024

This comes shortly after Google posted Adapt to privacy and regulatory changes with consent mode in the Google Ads, Admob, AdSense and Ad Manager help centers. Ginny Marvin, Google's Ads Liaison, also posted about this:

“Why” is covered in the article (link below).
I’m going to highlight the “Who, What, When” basics:

*Who* needs to pay attention: Advertisers who want to show personalized ads to consumers in the European Economic Area (EEA). That includes advertisers based outside of the EEA. 2/

— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) January 18, 2024

*When* you will need to have taken action to ensure you’re sending verifiable consent signals to Google: By March 2024

You’ll find many more details on consent mode, each scenario and actions needed, plus additional resources here: https://t.co/HtrZE8znx8

— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) January 18, 2024

Hi Barry, Here is more information for publishers when serving ads to users in the EEA and/or the UK: https://t.co/mKv71waZMA.

— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) January 18, 2024

What is new is that it seems Google is now emailing folks about this.

Forum discussion at X.