According to PPC News Feed (18 October 2026), Google Ads now allows scanning websites or social media profiles to find images for creative assets, with a “Scan another website or social media” button in the image source menu. The source indicates no supported platforms, regions, accounts or timelines, and doesn’t mention copyright or usage rights. Google Ads terms, in force since 1 July, say the advertiser must have rights to its inputs, according to PPC Land. Use the tool only with sites and profiles that belong to you or over which you have authorisation.
What was observed
PPC News Feed reported that Google now lets advertisers “scan websites or social media profiles” to find images for creative assets. The button appears in an image source menu with the label “Scan another website or social media”. The observation was shared by Arpan Banerjee on LinkedIn.
The source describes the tool as easing image sourcing during ad creation, and gives no more details.
What the source doesn't say
It doesn’t say which social platforms are supported, in which regions and accounts it’s available, nor how Google treats the scanned images. It mentions no warnings about copyright or usage rights, nor limits. It also doesn’t indicate whether scanning third-party sites is possible.
So the relevant question is: if a tool lets you fetch images from anywhere, who guarantees you can use them in advertising?
Image policy in four rules
- Only own, licensed or authorised images
- People only with consent on file
- Record of each image’s source and licence
- Monthly review of automatically collected assets
Image rights: the practical rule
An image being online doesn’t mean you can use it in ads. Product photographs may belong to the supplier, photographer or a brand; social network images may contain people who didn’t authorise advertising; and third-party images may be copyright protected. Use only your own images, licensed for advertising or with written authorisation.
Google Ads terms require, according to PPC Land, that the advertiser have rights to its inputs.
People and consent
Images with identifiable people (customers, staff, children) require adequate consent for advertising purposes, also under GDPR. A photograph shared on a social profile doesn’t mean it can be used in a paid ad. If your brand uses customer or event photographs, keep authorisations on file.
For children, requirements are higher. Consult a lawyer.
An image being online doesn't mean you can use it in ads.
When the tool is useful
When the images are yours: your site, your Instagram profile, your catalogue. It can save time gathering already-approved assets. But this overlaps with image extraction from the site in Performance Max, on by default in new campaigns on 4 December 2026, according to PPC News Feed: the hygiene of your sites’ and profiles’ images is what really counts.
Before using, clean the source.
When not to use
Don’t use the tool to fetch images from competitors, from suppliers without authorisation, from stock sites without advertising licence, from influencers or customers without consent, or from news and third-party posts. Risks include complaints, ad removal, reputation damage and legal liability.
In doubt? Don’t use. Ask for authorisation or photograph.
An internal image policy in four rules
1) Only own images, licensed for advertising or authorised in writing. 2) People only with consent on file. 3) Record of source and licence of each image. 4) Monthly review of automatically generated or collected assets. Four simple rules reduce most of the risk.
Keep the record sheet with the campaigns.
Questions for your manager
Where do our ad images come from? Do we have licence or authorisation for advertising? Are there identifiable people? Has anyone used the site scanning tool? Who reviews assets?
If you want to set up an image policy and licence record for your ads, I can help create the template, with final legal validation.
Summary in three lines
Google Ads lets you scan other sites and social profiles to find images. The source doesn’t mention rights. Use only your own, licensed or authorised images, keep consents from people and maintain a record of source and licence.
An illustrative image record example
A ceramics shop keeps a sheet with 80 images: file, product, author, date, licence (own, supplier with authorisation, stock with commercial licence), people depicted and consent, and campaigns where it was used. The example is hypothetical. When a supplier brand asks it to remove an image, the shop identifies in minutes where it’s being used and removes it.
A simple record turns a problem into a ten-minute task.
Common mistakes with images in ads
Using supplier images without authorisation for advertising; copying competitors’ photographs; using customer photographs without consent; using stock images without a commercial licence; and not keeping proof of licence. Each mistake can generate complaints and ad removal. A one-page image policy and a record solve most.
Frequently asked questions
Does the tool check image rights?
The source mentions no rights. Assume it doesn’t and check yourself.
Can I use images from social networks?
Only if they’re yours or with authorisation, and with consent of the people depicted.
Who is responsible for what appears in the ad?
The advertiser, according to the Google Ads terms cited by PPC Land.
Sources consulted
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