Microsoft Advertising now requires advertiser identity verification to ensure that customers see ads from trusted sources, which improves customer experiences, the company said. “As part of this program, advertisers will be required to undergo a verification process to establish their legal identity,” Microsoft added.

Google Ads has this requirement for certain verticals and industries as well, so this should come as no surprise the Microsoft Advertising is following suit.

Advertisers can use government-issued, photograph-included personal identity or business-related documents issued by appropriate regulatory authorities to complete this process with Microsoft Advertising. Microsoft said the process is highly automated and they have simplified “the procedure to ensure that advertisers can complete it quickly.”

Your business or individual name and operation country or region will be displayed to the searcher in this manner:

The current scope of the program has been restricted to advertisers belonging to specific verticals or unclear business models. The program is currently available in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Poland, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

How does advertiser identity verification work?

(1) Microsoft Advertising will request advertiser identity verification for one or more of your accounts via email.

(2) Follow the instructions in the email request that you receive to complete identity verification. You may be required to verify your status as a business, an individual, or both.

(3) You must complete all identity verification related tasks within 30 days of receiving the email request or we will pause your account and your ads will not show. In that case, once you have successfully completed identity verification, we will enable your account and will start showing your ads again.

(4) Review and approval of your verification submission may take 3-5 business days to complete. To appeal a decision, please contact support. For more information on verification status, please see Identity verification status below.

You can learn more in this help document.

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