Google Adsense Death of "Ad Networks" and Birth of "Authorized Buyers"

brett Brett Tabkeon
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Google announces a significant change to its AdSense “Brand Safety > Blocking controls” interface: the “Ad networks” blocking control will be removed on November 6, 2025, replaced by a new “Authorized Buyers” control.

To a casual publisher this may seem like a UI update, but for advanced webmasters and SEOs managing high-traffic sites, networks, and programmatic monetization - this change has big nuanced implications.

What’s being removed

  • The existing “Ad networks” blocking control  (under Brand Safety >  Blocking controls) will be retired.
  • The toggle “Automatically allow new Google-certified ad networks” will also be discontinued.

What replaces it?

  • A new “Authorized Buyers” blocking control will take its place, letting publishers allow or block authorized buyers (i.e. demand-side platforms, DSPs, trading desks, ad networks) from bidding on inventory.
  • The new control excludes inactive ad networks, test networks, and Display & Video 360 networks by default.
  • Existing blocks on ad networks will carry forward into the new system automatically (i.e. your current settings won’t be wiped).
  • All new authorized buyers will be allowed by default in the new model.

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Timeline & transition behavior

  • Until November 6, 2025: You can still use and toggle the old controls. Changes made now will port into the new Authorized Buyers interface.
  • A view-only version of the new “Authorized Buyers” page will be accessible beforehand so publishers can preview the interface.
  • Post-launch: the Authorized Buyers interface becomes active; the Ad networks interface is removed.
  • The “Advertiser” blocking in the Ad Review Center will still function (including DV360 accounts), but managing authorized buyers via the Ad Review Center will be discontinued

This change represents Google's continued evolution toward a more sophisticated programmatic ecosystem. For advanced publishers, it's neither inherently good nor bad - it's simply the new reality that requires adaptation.

The death of "Ad networks" controls and birth of "Authorized Buyers" isn't just a UI update - it's a signal that programmatic advertising is maturing. Your ability to navigate this change will directly impact your competitive position in an increasingly complex digital advertising landscape.