Since June 2022, Google's Political Advertising Transparency Report in Brazil allows unprecedented access to data on electoral ads in various formats through the Google Ads network, such as search results, website banners and videos on Youtube.
In recent years, transparency efforts such as Google's Political Advertising Report have been a response to scandals and pressure for platform regulation. Several studies have found inconsistencies in the transparency guidelines and tools proposed by companies such as Google and Meta, and have considered this a “transparency theater” that continues to make research and data auditability difficult.
In this special report, we analyze the early stages of the election campaign, identifying the main advertisers of the period and examining general trends in investment in the platform. We also detected possible irregularities in political ads and presented Google's transparency limitations.
How to cite: Netlab UFRJ. Irregularidades e opacidade nos anúncios do Google. 15 de Setembro de 2022, Escola de Comunicação da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.