Google announced earlier this week that the company will now require all advertisers to verify their identity and geographic location in order to continue running ads.

According to Google, this move is in line with their goal of “providing greater transparency and equip users with more information about who is advertising to them,” according to the announcement from Jack Canfield, Director of Product Management, Ads Integrity.

“This change will make it easier for people to understand who the advertiser is behind the ads they see from Google and help them make more informed decisions when using our advertising controls. It will also help support the health of the digital advertising ecosystem by detecting bad actors and limiting their attempts to misrepresent themselves.”

The verification program will require users to provide the following documents:

• Personal identification documents.
• Business incorporation documents.
• Documents to verify their geographic location (ie: bank statements & utility bills)

According to Google, the verification process will take approximately 3 - 5 working days, and advertisers will have 30 days to submit their documents before ads are automatically stopped.

The program will start in the U.S. and will roll out globally for all of the Search, Display, and Youtube advertising products.