Google issued an updated ads policy in July, which banned vendors from advertising any product used to track or monitor another individual without consent.
However, advertisements for known stalkerware products such as FlexiSpy, mSpy, WebWatcher and KidsGuard were still found to appear in Google search results after the deadline had passed.
Between them, these apps offer the ability to monitor an individuals texts and audio calls, track GPS location, view web history, access images and videos stored on-device, and more.
Asked about its failure to police the new ads policy, Google explained that the process is likely to be more incremental than immediate and there are exceptions that might allow certain vendors to conduct ad campaigns within the boundaries of the new rules.
The policy has attracted criticism from other stakeholders in the fight against stalkerware, with antivirus vendor Malwarebytes describing Googles measures as incomplete due to the arbitrary distinction drawn between parental monitoring and partner surveillance facilities.
For example, although spyware app KidsGuard is marketed at parents, previous iterations of its website have also said the product can be used to catch a cheating spouse or monitor employees.
Other similar companies are equally forthcoming about the potential their applications might be used to invade the privacy of an unwitting victim.