• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, April 1, 2025

Google will make several updates to ads this month. A substantial one focuses on the Unfair Advantage Policy. Microsoft Advertising's focus points to standardizing privacy policies that support the collection of data while supporting data compliance across countries.

A Google Ads updated policy means advertisers can now run multiple ads for the same business, app, or site on one search-results page as long as it occupies different ad locations.

The change to the Unfair Advantage Policy is intended to clarify restrictions that will begin April 14 and is a result of recent experiments running multiple ads from the same advertiser in different locations at the same time if each serves up on different locations.

Google’s evolving and updated policy uses different ad locations to run separate auctions, allowing businesses to secure multiple placements to open opportunities to advertisers.

Pointing to affiliate programs, the company wrote in a post that using the Google Network to gain an unfair traffic advantage over other participants in the auction will not be allowed.

Google also will make updates to its cryptocurrency advertising policy that takes place in the European Union on April 23. This policy applies to the a list of EU countries that can be found in its policy update.

To advertise Cryptocurrency Exchanges and Software Wallets in the EU, advertisers must have a license to act as a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation by a relevant national competent authority.

April also brings changes to country-specific Google’s Healthcare and medicines policy, which will allow telemedicine providers to promote prescription drug services in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Microsoft Advertising’s update is focused on privacy and enforces consent mode signals beginning on May 5. The goal is to ensure compliance with privacy regulations.

The company explains how user consent signals will help advertisers comply with local privacy regulations, while building user trust, despite having the ability to collect valuable insights to optimize ad performance.

Microsoft Advertising’s Consent Mode feature lets advertisers collect insights while respecting user privacy preferences and following privacy regulations.

The company said it is also applicable to any client using Universal Event Tracking (UET) on the Microsoft Advertising Platform, as well as the Universal Pixel, Segment, and Conversion pixels within Microsoft Invest, Curate or Monetize.

The feature enables advertisers to adjust cookie access based on the consent status of users visiting an advertiser’s website from the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland. This means advertisers can continue tracking conversions and optimizing advertising campaigns without compromising user privacy.

Microsoft explains that Consent Mode works by adjusting the tracking behavior on Microsoft's tag code based on a parameter called ad_storage. The parameter controls whether ads can store cookies on a user's device.

The setting can be either "granted" to allow cookies for advertising or "denied" to blocking cookies. Setting this parameter enables advertisers to share user consent signals with Microsoft.