Google has sent an email to advertisers warning them they could lose Customer Match access if they engage in harmful behavior.

Navah (Fuchs) Hopkins, Optmyzr Brand Evangelist, posted a copy of the email to LinkedIn. In the email, Google says the following:

On January 13, 2025, Google will updates its Customer Match policy to state that customers may lose Customer Match access if their ads have the potential to cause harm to users or create a poor user experience. We may take the following considerations, among others, into account when making this determination.

• User feedback
• Prevalence or severity of abuse
• Repeated violations of the Customer Match policy

Violations of this policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued, at lease seven days, prior to any suspensions of your account.

As Search Engine Land points out, Google is focusing on the following areas:

• Consent violations in which companies do not get explicit permission to use users’ email address, ignore user opt-outs, or don’t have documentation of said consent.
• Creative compliance, involving targeting minors, sending personalized messages to specific users, or targeting users who have already opted out.

After losing privacy lawsuits, Google has finally begin to take privacy seriously. The company’s latest effort is good news for consumers—provided Google follows through on its threats to take action of Customer Match violators.