Thanks correcting me. I was not aware of it, but it makes sense.
I asked IA about it:
For an AdSense publisher, the policy on hiding ads is nuanced. Generally, you’re allowed to hide specific ad units for legitimate design or user experience reasons, as long as you’re not manipulating clicks or impressions.
If you want to hide one specific ad placement while keeping others visible, this is typically acceptable if:
- You’re doing it for legitimate reasons (like responsive design or specific page layouts)
- You’re not using deceptive methods to encourage clicks on other ads
- You’re not implementing the hiding in a way that violates Google’s policies
Google’s main concern is preventing practices like:
- Hiding ads but making them still clickable
- Creating invisible overlays that generate accidental clicks
- Implementing “ad stuffing” where ads load but aren’t visible
A setting to provide what route to allow/disallow would be handy.