Google suspended all advertising connected to Ireland's abortion referendum as part of moves to protect "election integrity."

The internet giant says that from Thursday it will no longer display ads related to the May 25 vote on whether to repeal Ireland's constitutional ban on abortion.

Google says the move is part of its global efforts to protect election integrity. It applies to ads on Google and on YouTube, which it owns.

Google's statement Wednesday follows a decision by Facebook to ban foreign advertisements for the referendum, amid concerns about North American groups' influence.

The role of online ads in elections is under scrutiny after revelations that political consultancy Cambridge Analytica harvested Facebook users' data to micro-target political ads to select groups during the 2016 U.S. presidential race.