Microsoft’s search engine platform, Bing, on January 25, said it has blocked more than 5 million advertisements related to cryptocurrencies. Before Bing, it is important to note that Facebook and Google were the first companies to ban crypto ads last year.
Known as Adcenter before Microsoft purchased it in 2009, Bing promotes paid advertisements on Microsoft, Yahoo, and other platforms.
In a blog post, Bing said:
“While digital advertising is incredibly powerful and open, it is also prone to abuse by bad actors trying to defraud and deceive users by delivering harmful and misleading ads, with persuasive content and innocent looking URLS that lead to phishing, malware attacks and other types of fraud.”
Crypto providers have encountered difficulties marketing on online advertising platforms. It was a slap on their face when Google and Facebook both made a decision to ban crypto-related ads.
Facebook and Google Reverse Ban
However, Facebook has reversed its decision a couple of months after their ban announcement in January 2018. The social networking service giant said it would allow ads and related content from “pre-approved advertisers”. But the company reiterated that it would still not allow ads promoting binary options and initial coin offerings.
In September 2018, Google has also ended its ban on content relating to cryptos to allow regulated crypto exchanges to buy ads in the United States and Japan.
An official announcement from Google revealed that it would start accepting ads to its Google Adwrds platform in October. “Advertisers will need to be certified with Google for the specific country in which their ads will serve. Advertisers will be able to apply for certification once the policy launches in October”, Google said.
Industry players described Google’s decision to ban cryptocurrency ads in March 2018 as “unfair” and “troubling”. The tech giant in return said it was only protecting its costumers from fraudulent offerings.
Also read: Cryptocurrency 101: A Beginner’s Guide