Hide, block, or report an ad: choose the right action

Begin with the outcome you want

If an ad is repetitive, irrelevant, or upsetting to see, a hide or block option may address your immediate experience. If it appears to impersonate a business, make a deceptive claim, or otherwise violate a platform’s rules, reporting provides information for review. On Google, reporting an ad does not automatically block it.

These actions can be used separately when both goals apply. You do not have to determine why the ad was targeted to you before reporting its content. Conversely, an ad can be unwelcome without being a policy violation. Choose the reason that describes what you actually observed.

Source: Google: Report an ad

Report a Google ad from its controls

Google’s reporting route starts from the ad’s own menu. Use the controls attached to the ad rather than following the promotion to its website. If the panel contains several ads, make sure the selected one is the ad you mean.

1. On a Google service, open More or Info on the ad. On a partner site, open AdChoices and look for Why this ad?
2. Choose Report ad, then choose the reason matching the problem you observed.
3. Add relevant details requested by the form. Leave pre-filled ad information intact and submit through Google’s reporting interface.
4. If you also want the ad hidden, return to its controls and use the available block option separately.

Sources: Google: Report an ad; Google: Control your ad experience

On Facebook or Instagram, start at the ad menu

Use the sponsored item’s three-dot menu and follow the reporting or hiding options offered in your version of the app. Why am I seeing this ad? and the newer About this ad destination provide context about the advertisement. Their labels can vary as Meta rolls out changes.

When a menu differs from a tutorial, read the labels in your app and use the attached Help option. Do not substitute a report about the entire account when your intention is to report a particular ad unless the platform explicitly routes you there. Keep the object of the report—the ad, the advertiser, or a message—clear.

Sources: Meta: Increasing our ads transparency; Meta: Expanding GenAI transparency for Meta’s ads products

Describe the observable problem

A useful report makes the concern easy to understand. State what the ad claims and what makes that claim suspicious. Avoid guessing about who created it, how much money they spent, or which information they used to target you. Those guesses can distract from the evidence the reviewer needs.

• Include the exact problematic statement when the form asks for details.
• Use the ad’s reporting flow so the platform can identify the item.
• Do not include passwords, full payment details, identity documents, or unrelated browsing history.
• If preserving a screenshot privately, remove unrelated account details before sharing it anywhere.

What a submitted report establishes

A submission establishes that you asked the platform to review the ad. It does not establish that the platform agrees, that the advertiser is fraudulent, or that the ad will immediately disappear. Google describes a review process and confirmation email; read any response for its actual decision and available next steps.

Keep a private record if you need to follow up. AdCheckMe does not submit reports to Google or Meta on your behalf and cannot inspect their review queues. Our role is to help you identify the appropriate controls and articulate what you observed.

If you only want to stop encountering a topic, you can finish by using the relevant preference control. If the reporting menu is missing, consult the platform’s official help linked below. You do not need to interact with the promoted website to earn access to a reporting option.

Source: Google: Report an ad