YouTube gains Jicwebs certificate for brand safety

Jicwebs (The Joint Industry Committee for Web Standards in the UK and Ireland) sets best practice and standards for the trading of online advertising.

The audit found that the Google-owned platform meets Jicwebs guidelines, produced by its Digital Trading Standards Group, on reducing the risk of ad misplacement.

Phil Smith, director general, ISBA, welcomed the move from Google to open up to certification, a move he said was "an important part of the action needed to reassure advertisers that their investment is being protected".

Ronan Harris, managing director at Google UK and Ireland, said: "Providing more transparency and visibility to our advertising partners remains important to us, so we are pleased YouTube has achieved certification for brand safety by Jicwebs. We remain committed to listening and working with the industry on cross-industry standards for digital advertising."

IAB chief executive Jon Mew said: "This verification of YouTube is a significant step forward for our industry and shows its commitment to raising the standards of digital advertising."

Google and other social media firms are under pressure to address the brand safety issue and their problem of extremist content. Last week, the EU issued a three-month deadline for internet companies to show that they are removing inappropriate material, including hate speech and terrorist propaganda.