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In February 2019, Google will begin enforcing a political content policy update to require that (1) advertisers running election ads in India be verified by Google, and (2) advertisers provide a pre-certificate issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) or a source authorised by the ECI for each election ad that they want to run.
Election ads in India are ads for Lok Sabha Elections that feature a political party, political candidate or current member of the Lok Sabha, or any ads that are run by a political party, political candidate or current member of the Lok Sabha.
To be verified by Google, advertisers must provide proof of identity and information about where they’re based, and must confirm that they’re legally permitted to run these election ads in India.
Advertisers will be able to apply for verification and submit their ad pre-certificates starting 14 February 2019 and enforcement of the policy will begin on 20 February 2019.
(Posted January 2019)