Google cracks down on “super-naughty ads”

In a move aimed at hitting porn websites, Google plans to start enforcing the "no super-naughty ads" provision of its AdWords policies that it first posted in March.

The internet giant has started emailing advertisers to remind them of the coming crackdown on risqué advertising.

Though Google would not ban adult advertising in general, it said it would tighten the screws on the content of the ads.

As of this week, Google's advertising network would not promote  advertisements incorporating "sexually explicit content.''

"Beginning in the coming weeks, we'll no longer accept ads that promote graphic depictions of sexual acts including, but not limited to, hardcore pornography; graphic sexual acts... ," reads Google's message to advertisers.

"When we make this change, Google will disapprove all ads and sites that are identified as being in violation of our revised policy. Our system identified your account as potentially affected by this policy change," the statement says. "We ask that you make any necessary changes to your ads and sites to comply so that your campaigns can continue to run."

Advertisers should not be surprised by the move, though Google was somewhat vague in the March post that only hinted at changes to AdWords now being implemented.

Google's AdWords platform allows advertisers to place ads on Google-owned sites, though other sites could also choose to host AdWord ads on their own sites.

The platform is said to be responsible for the majority of Google's revenue, though Google had placed restrictions on adult content for some time, the latest changes could potentially send advertisers elsewhere.

Meanwhile, there is some speculation that the changes signalled hard times ahead for the porn industry, as many payment gateways and including PayPal, Amazon, and Chase Bank disassociating themselves from clients who worked in the adult entertainment industry.

According to a CNBC report in May, ''searches for the words sex, porn, free porn and porno fell just short of 351 million, according to Google AdWords Keyword Planner,'' which suggested there would be no fall in traffic for sites that featured prominently in Google's organic search results.