AdMob CEO: no enforcement of Apple's new ad policy (yet)

Despite the fact its iOS SDK policies were change in such a manner as to exclude AdMob, the mobile advertising firm that Google acquired, Apple does not seem to be enforcing that rule. Omar Hamoui, founder and CEO of Google's AdMob division, made that comment at the MobileBeat 2010 conference on Tuesday.

Hamoui said, "They haven't been enforcing (the new regulations) yet. We're very appreciative of that."

While the new iOS SDK policies didn't specifically exclude AdMob, they prohibited ad networks owned by or affiliated with "a developer or distributor of mobile devices, mobile operating systems or development environments other than Apple" (such as Google) from collecting analytic data. Without analytic data, AdMob couldn't track who had clicked on their customer's ads, and advertisers won't buy ads if they can't determine how many people had clicked on it.

Until now, there had only been anecdotal developer evidence that Apple wasn't enforcing its new policies. It is unclear why Apple has not enforced the prohibition. It's possible the rumored FTC or ITC investigation into Apple's iAd program had something to do with it.

In terms of contingency plans, if Apple were to enforce the rule, Hamoui skirted the issue by mentioning other platforms (including, naturally, that Android OS we hear so much about, where AdMob already has a presence). Hopefully, it won't come to that.

Despite all this, Hamoui noted that he was happy to see the introduction of the iAd network. The more, the merrier, basically, he said. "The really rich pretty ads they're doing are making advertisers and agencies think about what mobile means. Anybody getting advertisers interested in mobile is a good thing. It's not at all a zero-sum game."

At the very least, though, AdMob has yet another reason to thank Apple. It's been said that the development of the iAd network after Apple acquire Quattro Wireless (an AdMob rival) was what the FTC needed in order to approve the AdMob acquisition by Google.