Google Removes 11,000+ Accounts in Q2 2025 Crackdown on Coordinated Influence Operations

Google has released the findings of its investigations into coordinated influence operations conducted across its platforms during the second quarter of 2025. In total, more than 11,000 accounts and assets were removed, including 10,910 YouTube channels, along with advertising accounts, blogs, and domains that violated platform policies.

The largest share of takedowns was linked to campaigns originating from China—7,745 YouTube channels in total. These channels disseminated content in both Chinese and English, focusing on foreign policy narratives and international affairs, particularly those involving the United States.

Network operations associated with Azerbaijan involved 1,041 YouTube channels. Their content addressed relations with Armenia and domestic political matters, including criticism of specific opposition figures in Azerbaijani-language posts.

In addition, Google removed dozens of channels and other assets connected to Iran (12 channels and 2 domains), Turkey (43 channels), Israel (4 channels), Romania (12 channels), and a campaign in Ghana, which involved one advertising account and one domain.

According to the company, many of these efforts employed clusters of interconnected accounts that were synchronized in terms of content, publication timing, and visual presentation. In some instances, coordination was traced back to marketing and consulting firms.

Beyond YouTube, enforcement actions extended to advertising accounts on Google Ads and AdSense, as well as 15 websites that were delisted from Google News and Discover. Google noted that many of these campaigns closely resembled those previously identified by Meta and OpenAI.

The company emphasized that these measures were part of its ongoing commitment to uphold platform integrity and prevent large-scale manipulation through inauthentic networks. Google publishes such transparency reports on a regular basis.