Google is to ban a range of different kinds of ads as it attempts to stop people using it to undermine democracy.
The site will stop people from promoting "demonstrably false claims" as well as using its tools to precisely target people on their political affiliation and other information, it said.
Google is just the latest tech company to make changes to its ad policies in response to widespread outcry about the way sponsored posts are being used to promote false stories, misinformation and questionable claims.
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The tech giant said that the changes would be implemented in order to improve voter confidence in digital political advertising and international electoral processes.
In a blogpost, Google Ads executive Scott Spencer, said that the company was "clarifying" its advertising policies to avoid material that could "significantly undermine participation or trust in the democratic process" being posted on its platforms.
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Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson (left) during a visit to the Gurdwara Singh Sabha Temple in Glasgow
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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn meets Colin and his mother after a speech at the University of Lancaster
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Britain's Green Party co-leaders Jonathan Bartley, Sian Berry, and deputy leader Amelia Womack, wave during the launch of the party manifesto at the Observatory at London Wetland Centre
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Scottish Nationalist Party leader Nicola Sturgeon meets voters and activists at Cafe Roma in Clarkston, Glasgow
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Protestors participate in an anti-Boris Johnson rally in his constituency Uxbridge, west London
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Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage looks out from a window on the Kestrel crabbing boat in Grimsby fish dock
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson on a tug boat in the port of Bristol
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Green Party Co-Leader Sian Berry has a selfie taken with a supporter at the Observatory, London Wetlands Centre
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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) ladies during a visit to Birkenshaw Sports Barn in Uddingston
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Boris Johnson at the unveiling of the Conservative Party battlebus in Middleton, Greater Manchester
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Nicola Sturgeon sits alongside Cycling Without Age user Cyril Corcoran (centre), aged 78, in an electric tricycle during a visit to Hawick, in the Scottish Borders
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Nigel Farage holds a fish during a stop at the Grimsby Seafood Village
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Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson reacts as he participates in a school art lesson, making a clay figure at George Spencer Academy, west of Nottingham
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Scotland's First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon visits the Cafe Gelato in Rutherglen, Glasgow
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The Green Party launch in Bristol
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Farage enjoys some chips at the start of a nationwide tour for the 2019 general election, in Whitehaven
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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn unveils the Labour battle bus in Liverpool
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Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage on the campaign trail in Whitehaven, where he was confronted by Karl Connor
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Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson speaks to volunteer Rosie Squires in the Stainforth 4 All charity shop during a visit to Stainforth in South Yorkshire to meet people affected by flooding
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Nicola Sturgeon poses with candidates during the SNP general election campaign launch in Edinburgh
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Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn with Laura McAlpine, the party's candidate for Harlow
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Anti-Boris Johnson protesters demonstrate outside the hall where the Conservative Party were launching their campaign in Birmingham
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Green Party Co-Leader Sian Berry (left), Deputy Leader and Parliamentary Candidate for Newport West Amelia Womack (right), and Bristol West Candidate Carla Denyer (centre) at the launch of the party's general election manifesto in Bristol
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The PM tastes whisky during a visit to Diageo's Roseisle Distillery near Elgin, Scotland
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Nigel Farage poses with boxer Dereck Chisora during a visit to a boxing gym in Ilford
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Jo Swinson visits a science class at Hinchley Wood School near Esher
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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon holds a guitar as she visits Dalkeith Community Hub
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A man heckles as Jeremy Corbyn gives a speech at the Senior Citizens Hall in Macclesfield
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Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn visits residents affected by flooding in Conisbrough
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Boris Johnson gestures as he helps quality control staff during a visit to the Tayto Castle crisp factory in County Armagh, Northern Ireland
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Nigel Farage visits a butcher's shop in Sutton-in-Ashfield
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SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon visits Blosson Tree children's nursery
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Jeremy Corbyn laughs during a visit to the Scrap Creative Reuse Arts Project, Sunny Bank Mills
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson hold Rosie the rabbit during a visit to a primary school while on the campaign trail in Taunton
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Jo Swinson playing with children at the Battersea Arts Centre in Lavender Hill
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Farage addresses supporters at the Washington Central Hotel in Workington
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Jeremy Corbyn poses with Labour activists as they canvas in Govan, Glasgow
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Nicola Sturgeon during a visit to The Shed, a Climate Challenge community project at North Edinburgh Arts
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets six month old Willow Rose Anderson, at the Lych Gate Tavern in Wolverhampton
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Jeremy Corbyn tries a scone in Bentley, Doncaster
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Boris Johnson hauling a consignment of frozen chocolate gateaux, during a visit to Iceland Foods HQ in Deeside
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Jo Swinson puts on a high visibility jacket during a visit to Sigma Pharmaceuticals, a family run pharmaceutical wholesaler in Watford
AFP via Getty
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Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson (left) during a visit to the Gurdwara Singh Sabha Temple in Glasgow
PA
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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn meets Colin and his mother after a speech at the University of Lancaster
Getty Images
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Britain's Green Party co-leaders Jonathan Bartley, Sian Berry, and deputy leader Amelia Womack, wave during the launch of the party manifesto at the Observatory at London Wetland Centre
Reuters
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Scottish Nationalist Party leader Nicola Sturgeon meets voters and activists at Cafe Roma in Clarkston, Glasgow
AFP via Getty
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Protestors participate in an anti-Boris Johnson rally in his constituency Uxbridge, west London
AFP via Getty Images
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Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage looks out from a window on the Kestrel crabbing boat in Grimsby fish dock
PA
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson on a tug boat in the port of Bristol
PA
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Green Party Co-Leader Sian Berry has a selfie taken with a supporter at the Observatory, London Wetlands Centre
PA
11/50
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) ladies during a visit to Birkenshaw Sports Barn in Uddingston
EPA
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Boris Johnson at the unveiling of the Conservative Party battlebus in Middleton, Greater Manchester
PA
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Nicola Sturgeon sits alongside Cycling Without Age user Cyril Corcoran (centre), aged 78, in an electric tricycle during a visit to Hawick, in the Scottish Borders
PA
14/50
Nigel Farage holds a fish during a stop at the Grimsby Seafood Village
PA
16/50
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson reacts as he participates in a school art lesson, making a clay figure at George Spencer Academy, west of Nottingham
AFP via Getty
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Scotland's First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon visits the Cafe Gelato in Rutherglen, Glasgow
EPA
19/50
The Green Party launch in Bristol
PA
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Farage enjoys some chips at the start of a nationwide tour for the 2019 general election, in Whitehaven
AFP/Getty
21/50
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn unveils the Labour battle bus in Liverpool
PA
22/50
Boris Johnson reacts as he talks with workers whilst weighing packaged tea bags at the Tetley Tea Factory in Stockton-on-Tees
AFP/Getty
23/50
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage on the campaign trail in Whitehaven, where he was confronted by Karl Connor
PA
24/50
Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson speaks to volunteer Rosie Squires in the Stainforth 4 All charity shop during a visit to Stainforth in South Yorkshire to meet people affected by flooding
PA
25/50
Nicola Sturgeon poses with candidates during the SNP general election campaign launch in Edinburgh
Reuters
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Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn with Laura McAlpine, the party's candidate for Harlow
PA
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Anti-Boris Johnson protesters demonstrate outside the hall where the Conservative Party were launching their campaign in Birmingham
EPA
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Green Party Co-Leader Sian Berry (left), Deputy Leader and Parliamentary Candidate for Newport West Amelia Womack (right), and Bristol West Candidate Carla Denyer (centre) at the launch of the party's general election manifesto in Bristol
PA
29/50
The PM tastes whisky during a visit to Diageo's Roseisle Distillery near Elgin, Scotland
Reuters
30/50
Nigel Farage poses with boxer Dereck Chisora during a visit to a boxing gym in Ilford
Reuters
31/50
Jo Swinson visits a science class at Hinchley Wood School near Esher
Reuters
32/50
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon holds a guitar as she visits Dalkeith Community Hub
Getty
33/50
A man heckles as Jeremy Corbyn gives a speech at the Senior Citizens Hall in Macclesfield
Getty
34/50
Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn visits residents affected by flooding in Conisbrough
Reuters
35/50
Boris Johnson gestures as he helps quality control staff during a visit to the Tayto Castle crisp factory in County Armagh, Northern Ireland
AFP via Getty
37/50
Nigel Farage visits a butcher's shop in Sutton-in-Ashfield
Reuters
38/50
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon visits Blosson Tree children's nursery
AFP via Getty
39/50
Jeremy Corbyn laughs during a visit to the Scrap Creative Reuse Arts Project, Sunny Bank Mills
Getty
40/50
Prime Minister Boris Johnson hold Rosie the rabbit during a visit to a primary school while on the campaign trail in Taunton
AFP via Getty
41/50
Jo Swinson playing with children at the Battersea Arts Centre in Lavender Hill
PA
42/50
Farage addresses supporters at the Washington Central Hotel in Workington
PA
43/50
Jeremy Corbyn poses with Labour activists as they canvas in Govan, Glasgow
PA
44/50
Nicola Sturgeon during a visit to The Shed, a Climate Challenge community project at North Edinburgh Arts
PA
45/50
Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets six month old Willow Rose Anderson, at the Lych Gate Tavern in Wolverhampton
PA
47/50
Jeremy Corbyn tries a scone in Bentley, Doncaster
PA
49/50
Boris Johnson hauling a consignment of frozen chocolate gateaux, during a visit to Iceland Foods HQ in Deeside
PA
50/50
Jo Swinson puts on a high visibility jacket during a visit to Sigma Pharmaceuticals, a family run pharmaceutical wholesaler in Watford
AFP via Getty
"We're proud that people around the world use Google to find relevant information about elections," he said.
"But given recent concerns and debates about political advertising, and the importance of shared trust in the democratic process, we want to improve voters' confidence in the political ads they may see on our ad platforms.
"While we've never offered granular microtargeting of election ads, we believe there's more we can do to further promote increased visibility of election ads.
"That's why we're limiting election ads audience targeting to the following general categories: age, gender, and general location (postal code level)."
Google says that it will begin enforcing the changes in the UK "within a week," in time for the General Election on December 12.
The new policies would apply to all advertisers and content types including "deep fakes" (doctored or manipulated media), misleading claims about the census process, and ads making "demonstrably false claims".
"Whether you're running for office or selling office furniture, we apply the same ads policies to everyone; there are no carve-outs," said Mr Spencer.
"It's against our policies for any advertiser to make a false claim-whether it's a claim about the price of a chair or a claim that you can vote by text message, that election day is postponed, or that a candidate has died."
He added that the company recognised that not all political claims could be adjudicated, but that the company would take appropriate action to preserve "robust political dialogue."
Google is the latest tech company to respond to growing scrutiny over online political advertising.
Twitter recently launched a new tool on its platforms that enables people to report deliberately misleading details about the voting process, weeks after announcing a ban on political adverts.
Rival social media firm Facebook has faced repeated calls to ban all political advertising after a number of misleading ads were taken down from the platform.
Facebook admitted it is unable to track all political adverts on its platforms.
Additional reporting by Press Association
Social media is an increasingly important battle ground in elections - and home to many questionable claims pumped out by all sides. If social media sites won't investigate the truth of divisive advertising, we will. Please send any political Facebook advertising you receive to [email protected], and we will catalogue and investigate it. Read more here.
