AD Tech Watch #13: Meta Delays New Ad Terms, Merchant Center Passkeys, Google Ranking Shake-Up

AD Tech Watch is our short, selected roundup of the AI, search and software news that matters to businesses in Nigeria, explained in plain English. In this issue: Meta has delayed, to 20 November, the new business terms that make advertisers responsible for what its AI tools do to their ads, Google Merchant Center starts asking for passkeys from 29 October, Google rankings moved sharply on 24 October without a confirmed update, and from 4 December new Performance Max campaigns will pull images from your website by default.

Issue #13 · 26 October 2026 · By AD Technologies Limited, an AI technology company in Lagos

1. Meta Delays New Ad Terms That Make You Responsible for Its AI Edits

What happened: Meta has moved the date its revised Commercial Terms and Self-Serve Ad Terms take effect from 30 October to 20 November 2026. A Meta spokesperson told Reuters on 23 October that the company needs more time to explain the changes to partners, PPC Land and Relevant Audience reported; no new wording has been announced. The revised terms add an “AI Features” section. According to Adweek’s reading, reported by PPC Land on 22 October, advertisers become “solely responsible” for what Meta’s AI features create or change in their ads, including features Meta switches on itself, such as Advantage+ creative enhancements, which are on by default. The terms also allow Meta to use crawlers and bots to access and index websites linked to a business, and say that continuing to use Meta’s business products counts as accepting the terms. Meta says advertisers can turn off individual Advantage+ features in Ads Manager.

What this means for Nigerian businesses: If you run Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp ads through Ads Manager, you now have about three extra weeks before these terms apply, and you do not need to sign anything for them to apply. Use the time. Open your running campaigns, check which Advantage+ creative enhancements are on, such as AI-generated images, translated text or added links, and switch off anything you have not reviewed. If an AI edit shows a wrong naira price or a claim you cannot back up, these terms put the responsibility on you, not Meta. Also remember that Meta switches on product browsing in existing ads on 28 October, as we covered in AD Tech Watch #10.

Sources: PPC Land (delay), PPC Land (AI features), Relevant Audience.

2. Google Merchant Center Starts Asking for Passkeys From 29 October

What happened: FeedArmy reported on 23 October 2026 that Google Merchant Center will start requiring passkeys for some sensitive account actions from 29 October, and that Google has been emailing account holders asking them to set up a passkey. FeedArmy gives adding new users and deleting a product feed as likely examples, but says Google has not published the full list. Search Engine Roundtable’s 23 October recap also flagged the coming passkey requirement. Google Ads already asks for a passkey for sensitive actions such as adding new users or changing billing information, and FeedArmy says passkeys set up for Google Ads carry over. Google’s Ads help page says a new passkey needs a waiting period of one to two days before it works for sensitive actions, and should not be created on a shared device.

What this means for Nigerian businesses: If you sell online and use Merchant Center for free product listings or Shopping ads, the account owner should create a passkey this week, before the requirement starts. Without one, simple jobs like adding a new staff member or an agency, or fixing a broken feed during the festive sales season, could stall. Create the passkey on your own phone or laptop with a screen lock, not a shared office computer, and use the same Google account that owns your Merchant Center and Google Ads accounts. If a freelancer or agency set up your account with their own email, ask them to add you as an admin now.

Sources: FeedArmy, Search Engine Roundtable, Google Ads Help.

3. Google Rankings Shook on 24 October, but No Update Is Confirmed

What happened: Search Engine Roundtable reported on 25 October 2026 that many third-party rank-tracking tools picked up significant Google Search ranking volatility on Saturday 24 October, with forum posts describing traffic drops and erratic rankings. Barry Schwartz wrote that the movement makes him believe there was “some Google Search ranking adjustment” from Friday into Saturday, but the article contains no statement from Google, and Google has not confirmed an update. He also noted earlier unconfirmed volatility around 16 October and 20 to 21 October. These shifts follow the Google September 2026 spam update, which ran from 24 September to 8 October. The article adds that rank-tracking tools have struggled with Google data over the past month, though many say they have fixed the issues.

What this means for Nigerian businesses: Do not rewrite your website because of one weekend of movement. Open Google Search Console and compare the last seven days with the seven days before for clicks and your top pages. If an important service or product page dropped, note the date, check that the page is still indexed and loads quickly on mobile, and make sure it clearly answers what customers ask, with prices in naira and the areas you serve. Then give it a week or two before making big changes. If traffic keeps falling after that, our AI SEO team in Lagos can review what changed.

Sources: Search Engine Roundtable.

4. New Performance Max Campaigns Will Use Images From Your Website by Default

What happened: Google said on its Google Ads Developers Blog on 21 October 2026 that from 4 December 2026, image extraction will be switched on by default for all newly created Performance Max campaigns, in the Google Ads interface, Google Ads Editor and the API. With it on, Google’s AI scans your landing pages for high-resolution images and uses them in your ads across Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps. The new default applies even if dynamic images are switched off at account level; until now, new campaigns followed the account setting. Existing campaigns keep their current settings. Google reminds advertisers to make sure they hold the rights to the images on their landing pages and allow Google to use them for advertising. PPC News Feed reported the change on 23 October.

What this means for Nigerian businesses: From December, any new Performance Max campaign you create can show photos from your website in ads without you choosing them. Before then, check the pages your ads point to: remove outdated product photos, banners with old naira prices, stock images you do not have a licence for and staff or customer photos used without consent. If you would rather pick every image yourself, untick “Landing page images” in each new campaign’s settings. If an agency or freelancer runs your campaigns, ask them how they will handle this change.

Sources: Google Ads Developers Blog, PPC News Feed.

Also This Week: FG Says Some Lagos Companies Are Tapping the National Grid Illegally

Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe told an energy forum in Lagos that some companies on the Lagos corridor have connected factories directly to the national grid without authorisation from distribution companies, taking up to 150 MW of electricity daily, Legit.ng reported on 23 October. He said the government will go after the firms, which were not named, and collect back charges, and that a nationwide technical audit of electricity infrastructure has started. If you are unsure about any connection at your business premises, especially one set up by a previous tenant or contractor, confirm with your DisCo that your meter and connection are authorised. Sources: Legit.ng.

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