Google restricts election ads in Chile starting October 2025

Google disclosed updates to its political content policy on October 6, 2025, introducing restrictions on election advertising in Chile. The changes affect how advertisers can run election-related campaigns in the South American nation.

According to the announcement, Google will update the policy for Election Ads under the Political content policy to include restrictions in Chile starting in October 2025. The new regulations require advertisers to comply with applicable local electoral laws, including pausing ads as required during periods defined by law as silence periods.

The policy change establishes that Google will not allow Election Ads, as defined by the company's policies, to serve in Chile during a silence period. These silence periods represent legally mandated time frames before elections when campaign advertising is prohibited, a common feature in electoral systems across Latin America.

Electoral silence periods and digital advertising

Silence periods, also known as "veda electoral" in Spanish-speaking countries, typically begin 24 to 48 hours before election day. During these windows, electoral authorities prohibit all forms of campaign advertising to allow voters time for reflection without the influence of political messaging. The implementation of such restrictions on digital platforms has become increasingly important as online advertising plays a larger role in political campaigns.

Chile's electoral framework includes these mandatory blackout periods. Political parties and candidates must halt all advertising activities, including digital campaigns, during these designated time frames. Google's policy update brings its advertising platform into alignment with these legal requirements.

The announcement comes as part of Google's broader approach to regulating political advertising across different jurisdictions. The company has implemented similar restrictions in numerous countries, adapting its policies to local electoral laws and regulations.

Context within Google's political advertising framework

Google maintains specific policies governing political content across its advertising platforms. The Political content policy encompasses various types of political advertising, including election ads, ads about political issues, and ads about political figures or parties. The definition of Election Ads varies by country, reflecting different legal and regulatory environments.

For advertisers running campaigns in Chile, the new restrictions mean they must monitor electoral calendars closely. Campaigns will need to be paused during legally defined silence periods to avoid policy violations. Failure to comply with these requirements could result in ad disapproval or account suspension.

The policy update reflects the technical challenges digital platforms face in managing political advertising across multiple jurisdictions. Each country maintains its own electoral laws, silence period durations, and definitions of what constitutes election advertising. Platforms must develop systems capable of enforcing these varied requirements automatically.

Implications for digital political campaigns in Chile

Chile has witnessed significant growth in digital political advertising over recent years. Social media platforms and search engines have become central channels for political communication, particularly among younger voters. The country's relatively high internet penetration rate, estimated at over 80 percent of the population, makes digital platforms attractive for political campaigns.

The implementation of silence period restrictions on Google's advertising platform affects how campaigns can allocate their digital marketing budgets. Political advertisers must now plan campaigns with mandatory blackout periods in mind, potentially shifting spending to earlier phases of the electoral cycle or to channels not subject to the same restrictions.

Digital advertising platforms have faced scrutiny globally regarding their role in political campaigns. Concerns about transparency, foreign interference, and misinformation have prompted regulators and platforms to implement stricter controls. Google's approach includes requiring identity verification for political advertisers in many markets and maintaining public databases of political ads.

Technical implementation and enforcement

The enforcement of silence period restrictions requires technical systems capable of identifying election ads and automatically preventing their delivery during prohibited periods. Google's advertising platform uses a combination of advertiser declarations, automated detection, and manual review to classify ads as election-related content.

Advertisers targeting Chile will need to ensure their campaigns are properly categorized and comply with verification requirements. Google typically requires political advertisers to complete identity verification processes before running election ads. This verification helps establish transparency about who is funding political advertising.

The system must also account for different types of elections occurring at various levels of government. Chile holds presidential elections, parliamentary elections, and regional elections on different schedules. Each may have its own silence period requirements. The advertising platform needs sufficient granularity to enforce restrictions based on specific electoral contests and geographic areas.

Regional context and Latin American markets

Chile represents another addition to Google's list of countries with specific election advertising restrictions. The company has implemented similar policies in numerous Latin American nations, recognizing the region's diverse electoral regulations.Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico have each developed distinct approaches to regulating digital political advertising. Google updated its policy for Mexico elections in March 2024, requiring verification for political advertisers. The pattern demonstrates how platforms must navigate fragmented regulatory landscapes across the region.

Other Latin American countries may follow Chile's example as they observe how major digital platforms implement local electoral requirements. The precedent could influence how platforms approach political advertising regulation across emerging markets where internet penetration continues to grow rapidly.

Significance for digital advertising ecosystem

The announcement underscores the ongoing challenges digital advertising platforms face in balancing global operations with local legal compliance. Political advertising represents a sensitive category requiring careful navigation of diverse legal frameworks across jurisdictions.

For the marketing community, the Chile policy update signals another market where political advertising faces operational restrictions. Platforms continue to adapt their systems to accommodate local requirements, though each implementation requires technical development and operational resources.

Google's broader approach to political advertising transparency has involved multiple policy updates throughout 2024 and 2025. The company introduced payer identification features in May 2025 to reveal financial backers behind advertisements. These transparency measures complement restrictions on when and how political ads can run.

The technical infrastructure supporting these policies represents significant engineering investment. Systems must track electoral calendars across dozens of countries, identify political content accurately, enforce verification requirements, and prevent ads from serving during prohibited periods. The complexity increases with each jurisdiction added to the platform's regulatory framework.

Broader trends in platform regulation

Platform regulation of political advertising has accelerated globally over the past several years. The European Union implemented comprehensive restrictions through the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising regulation, which took effect in October 2025. Google responded by restricting EU political ads to official communications only, effectively withdrawing from the political advertising market across 27 member states.

The EU approach differed substantially from Chile's model. Rather than implementing silence period restrictions, the EU created extensive transparency requirements that platforms determined were operationally unfeasible. Google's API enforcement for EU political declarations began in September 2025, with political ads ceasing to serve three weeks later.

Other regions have developed intermediate approaches. British Columbia updated political content policies in August 2024, restricting ads during pre-campaign and campaign periods while exempting news organizations and government agencies. The United States implemented temporary restrictions following the November 2024 election, pausing political ads after polls closed and lifting restrictions on November 11, 2024.

The diversity of approaches reflects different policy priorities and regulatory traditions. Some jurisdictions prioritize preventing last-minute manipulation through silence periods. Others focus on transparency requirements and identity verification. Still others, like the EU, attempt comprehensive regulation of targeting practices and cross-border advertising.

Operational considerations for advertisers

Political advertisers operating internationally must now track a complex matrix of regulations across markets. Each country maintains different definitions of political advertising, verification requirements, targeting restrictions, and blackout periods. Compliance requires sophisticated systems and local expertise.

The October 2025 update for Chile represents one data point in a larger pattern. Platforms continue to add countries to their political advertising frameworks, each requiring tailored policy implementations. Advertisers should expect additional markets to receive specific election advertising regulations as platforms expand their compliance efforts.

Campaign planning must now incorporate these restrictions from the earliest stages. Budget allocation, creative development, and media mix decisions all need to account for periods when digital advertising may be unavailable. Alternative channels and timing strategies become critical for maintaining campaign momentum through restricted periods.

The verification requirements also impose administrative burdens. Advertisers must complete platform-specific authentication processes, maintain proper documentation, and ensure all campaigns are correctly categorized. Mistakes can result in ad disapproval or account suspension during critical campaign periods.

Timeline

• February 2024: Google updates political content policy for Mexico elections, requiring verification starting March 2024
• May 2024: Google introduces disclosure requirements for political ads with synthetic content in Display & Video 360
• August 2024: Google implements political advertising restrictions for British Columbia aligned with provincial Election Act
• October 2024: Meta announces US election ad restrictions from October 29 through November 5, 2024
• October 2024: Google pauses US election ads after polls close on November 5, 2024
• November 2024: Google lifts US election ad restrictions on November 11, 2024
• May 2025: Google introduces payer name identification in Ads Transparency policy to reveal financial backers
• August 2025: Google Ads API begins enforcing EU political advertising declarations ahead of TTPA regulation
• August 2025: Google announces restriction of EU political ads to official communications only, effective September 2025
• August 2025: Display & Video 360 API enforces EU political ad declarations starting September 8, 2025
• October 6, 2025: Google announces restrictions for election ads in Chile, including compliance with local electoral laws and silence periods, effective October 2025

Summary

Who: Google, through its advertising platforms including Google Ads, Display & Video 360, Shopping Ads, and Campaign Manager 360, is implementing the new restrictions. The policy affects advertisers running election-related campaigns in Chile.

What: Google updated its Political Content policy for Election Ads to include restrictions in Chile. The policy prohibits Election Ads from serving during legally defined silence periods and requires advertisers to comply with all applicable local electoral laws, including mandatory pauses during these blackout periods.

When: The announcement was posted on October 6, 2025, with the policy taking effect in October 2025. The restrictions apply during silence periods as defined by Chilean electoral law, typically occurring 24 to 48 hours before election day.

Where: The restrictions apply specifically to Chile and affect Election Ads as defined by Google's policies. The policy operates across Google's advertising platforms for advertisers targeting Chilean audiences during election periods.

Why: The policy update brings Google's advertising platform into compliance with Chilean electoral laws, which mandate silence periods before elections. These restrictions align with broader global trends requiring digital platforms to adapt to local political advertising regulations, ensuring legal compliance and supporting democratic processes by preventing last-minute campaign manipulation during legally protected reflection periods for voters.