Acceptable Use Policy

Last updated: 27.11.2024

This acceptable use policy (“AUP”) outlines the standards for using the Clickaine platform in compliance with laws and regulations, including the EU Digital Services Act (DSA). By accessing or using our services, you agree to these terms to ensure a safe, lawful, and transparent environment.

General Acceptable Use Policy

Clickaine requires that all users of the platform conduct themselves respectfully and responsibly. You must observe the following rules while using the platform:

1. Abusive Behavior: Users must not harass, threaten, or defame any person or entity, nor contact individuals who have requested no further contact. Hate speech, including ethnic or religious slurs, is strictly prohibited.
2. Privacy Violations: Users must not infringe upon others’ privacy, including collecting or disclosing personal information without explicit consent.
3. Intellectual Property Infringement: Users must not misuse or distribute copyrighted material, trademarks, or other proprietary content without appropriate authorization.
4. Security Violations: Unauthorized access, hacking, or actions that disrupt or impair the platform’s functionality are forbidden.
5. Spam and Unsolicited Messaging: Sending bulk unsolicited emails or promoting products via spam is prohibited.
6. Fraud: Users must not engage in fraudulent transactions or mislead others about the nature of a transaction.
7. Illegal Activities: Users must not engage in activities that violate applicable laws.

Publisher Acceptable Use Policy

Ad Transparency for EU End Users

Publishers are responsible for complying with all applicable laws and regulations, including the DSA. Except for those who qualify as micro or small enterprises under the EU Commission’s criteria and are not considered very large online platforms under the DSA, publishers must ensure that, for each specific advertisement presented to each individual EU recipient, those EU end users can clearly, concisely and unambiguously identify, in real time, that the information is an advertisement, including by means of prominent markings.

This requirement fulfills the Ad Transparency obligations under the DSA and helps EU end users identify the advertiser behind each ad. The displayed information is extracted from data provided by the advertiser, who bears sole responsibility for its accuracy.

Information to be Disclosed:

• Advertiser’s Information: The name of the natural or legal person or business on whose behalf the advertisement is presented.
• Payer’s Information (if applicable): If different from the advertiser, the name of the natural or legal person who paid for the advertisement.

Additionally, other pertinent information about advertisers and ad campaigns will be disclosed to EU end users. This includes meaningful details about the main parameters used to determine the recipients to whom the advertisement is displayed.

Content Restrictions

Content on websites displaying ads must comply with Clickaine’s policies across all categories, including lawful adult categories. The following is prohibited:

1. Content that infringes on another person’s intellectual property rights, including copyright, patent, and trademark rights.
2. Promotion of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or bestiality, including minors or animals in adult or sexual situations, including images, written content, or animations.
3. Violent or abusive content, content promoting hate or racial intolerance, or content advocating against any individual, group, or organization.
4. Hacking/cracking content.
5. Illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia.
6. Excessive profanity.
7. Content regarding programs that compensate users for clicking on ads or offers, performing searches, surfing websites, reading emails, or pay to click or incentivized in any way to click or view advertisements.
8. Excessive, repetitive, or irrelevant keywords in the content or code of webpages.
9. Sales or promotion of weapons or ammunition (e.g., firearms, fighting knives, stun guns, etc.).
10. Sales or promotion of alcohol, tobacco, or any related paraphernalia.
11. Content containing “revenge porn”, that is sexually explicit media that is publicly shared online without the consent of the pictured individual.
12. Any other content that is illegal or promotes illegal activity.
13. Any other content that is false, misleading, or deceptive.
14. Any file-sharing, torrent websites, or content lockers.
15. Any pirate websites or websites that promote piracy, specifically those that do not comply with removal requests.
16. Websites that allow user-submitted content but do not comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act or a similar notice and takedown procedure.
17. Little or no original content, including:
    • Scraped content. Websites with content taken from high-quality sources or “free article” websites. These are often template or cookie-cutter websites.
    • Auto-generated content. Websites with programmatically generated content. These websites often have random content that is confusing or nonsensical to a website visitor.
    • Doorway websites. Websites with content designed to increase search engine rank, with little content for an actual website visitor.
    • Made for ad websites. Websites that primarily consist of only advertisements do not constitute content for a landing page.
    • Login to view any content. Websites with landing pages with only a login or registration form.
    • Thin affiliate websites. These websites collect pay-per-click (PPC) revenues by sending visitors to the websites of affiliate programs, while providing little or no value-added content or service to the user. These websites usually have no original content and might be cookie-cutter websites or templates with no unique content.
    • Websites under construction. Websites that are blank, under construction, pages with raw coding/incorrect coding, or take too long to respond.

Invalid Clicks and Impressions

Pageviews and clicks on ads must result from genuine human interest. Any method that artificially generates clicks or impressions on ads is prohibited. These prohibited methods include repeated manual clicks or impressions, use of robots, automated click and impression generating tools, third-party services generating clicks or impressions including paid-to-click, paid-to-surf, auto-surf, and click-exchange programs, or any deceptive software. Clickaine will not pay for any inventory that Clickaine believes, in its sole discretion, incentivizes users to click, uses automated means to generate clicks or traffic, or is otherwise suspicious.

Encouraging Clicks

Clickaine does not allow any of the following methods to artificially generate clicks or impressions:

1. Encouraging users to click the ads by using phrases including “click the ads,” “support us,” “visit these links,” or other similar language.
2. Directing user attention to the ads by arrows or other graphical gimmicks.
3. Placing misleading images alongside individual ads.
4. Promoting websites displaying ads through unsolicited mass emails or unwanted advertisements on third-party websites.
5. Compensating users for viewing ads or performing searches, or promise compensation to a nonparty for that behavior.
6. Placing misleading labels above ads. For example, ads may be labeled “Sponsored Links” but not “Favorite Sites.”

Copyrighted Material

Publishers must not display ads on webpages with content protected by copyright law unless they have the necessary legal rights to display that content. In other words, publishers must not display ads on webpages with unlicensed content belonging to a nonparty.

Website and Ad Behavior

Unless Clickaine authorizes you to do so in writing, you must not alter or manipulate any ads or standard ad behavior in any way, including the following:

1. You must not alter any part of the code or change the behavior, targeting, or delivery of ads.
2. Websites showing ads must not contain pop-ups or pop-unders that interfere with website navigation, change user preferences, or initiate downloads.
3. A website or nonparty cannot display ads served by Clickaine as a result of the actions of any software application, including a toolbar.
4. No Clickaine invocation code will be integrated into a software application.
5. Webpages containing Clickaine invocation codes must not be loaded by any software that can trigger pop-ups, redirect users to unwanted websites, modify browser settings, or otherwise interfere with website navigation. It is your responsibility to make sure that no ad network or affiliate uses these methods to direct traffic to pages that contain your Clickaine invocation code.
6. We do not accept any traffic from ad zones hosted on subdomains.

Ad Placement

Publishers must comply with the following ad placement policies:

1. Up to six ad zones may be displayed on each page.
2. You must not display the same zone multiple times on one page. You must create a unique ad zone for each ad placement on your website.
3. Elements on a page must not obscure any part of the ad displayed.
4. Ads must not be displayed on any page with content primarily in an unsupported language.
5. No ad zones will be placed on any non-content-based pages.
6. No ad zones will be placed on pages published specifically to show ads, whether or not the page content is relevant. The only exception to this is interstitial ad zones that Clickaine has approved.
7. All In-Player ad zones must have a “Close and Play” button.
8. You must not place Clickaine in-player ad zone on videos that do not play.
9. You must not remove Clickaine banner container for in-player ad zones.
10. In-player ad zones must not remain visible when a video is playing.

Advertiser Acceptable Use Policy

Ad Transparency for EU End Users

Advertisers are responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable laws and regulations in every location where their ads are displayed, including the DSA.

To meet the Ad Transparency obligations under the DSA and to assist EU end users in identifying the advertiser behind a specific ad, certain information needs to be displayed. This information is extracted from data provided by the advertiser, under their sole responsibility.

Information to be Disclosed:

• Advertiser’s Information: The name of the natural or legal person or business on whose behalf the advertisement is presented.
• Payer’s Information (if applicable): If different from the advertiser, the name of the natural or legal person who paid for the advertisement.

Furthermore, additional information about advertisers and ad campaigns will be disclosed to EU end users. This includes meaningful details about the main parameters used to determine the recipients to whom the advertisement is displayed.

Destination and Popunder URLs Guidelines

Advertisers participating in the platform are required to adhere to the following policies. We ask that you read these policies carefully and refer to this document often. If you do not comply with these policies, Clickaine may disable serving your ads or disable your account. While Clickaine prefers to work with advertisers to achieve policy compliance, Clickaine may disable any account at any time. If your account is disabled, you will not be eligible for further participation in the platform until all issues have been resolved. Please note that Clickaine may change its policies at any time, and under its terms of service agreement, it is your responsibility to keep up to date with and adhere to the policies posted here.

Image Ads Editorial Guidelines

1. Ad images must be clear and recognizable.
2. Text appearing in the ad images must be legible.
3. The keywords in ads must relate to the content on your destination URL.
4. iFrame ads must not contain any malware or malicious code. Doing so is a breach of the terms of service agreement and will result in immediate account closure without the possibility of any refund.

Popunder Ad Editorial Guidelines

1. No double popunders.
2. No java alerts.

Full Page Interstitial Ad Editorial Guidelines

1. No iFrame breaking.
2. No popunders.
3. No java alerts / exit prompts.

Destination URLs Guidelines

1. The URL provided must work and cannot take longer than five seconds to load.
2. The URL must not contain spaces.
3. A website cannot link to a blank page, a page with little content, a page where the majority of the content consists of ads, a page that is under construction, or a page with raw or incorrect coding.
4. The destination URL cannot use rotating landing pages.
5. The URL cannot link directly to an executable file or any download that is not user initiated.
6. If the landing page promotes and links to an executable file(s) or download(s), it must accurately describe contents of the file or download.
7. The landing page cannot require a login to view any site content.
8. The landing page must not use or promote crypto miners, malware, ransomware, malicious code, or deliver harmful programs.
9. The landing page cannot engage in any illegal online activities, including phishing, spoofing, or spamming.
10. The landing page cannot contain pop-up windows, including exit pop-ups, java alerts, or chat windows that prevent a user from easily exiting a landing page.
11. The landing page must not use any copyrighted content, trademarked branding, or imitate any brand without proof of consent (i.e., Google Play Store, Android, Apple, etc.).
12. The requirements to redeem a free offer must be within one link of the landing page and the redemption requirements must be contained within a single page. The requirements of a free offer must be clear and conspicuous and must stay consistent from when the conditions are first stated.

Unacceptable Content

1. Any sexual content that depicts individuals who are under 18 years old or who are presented in a manner designed to make them appear to be under 18 years old, including without limitation computer-generated images, drawings, or sculptures that are or appear virtually indistinguishable from, that of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
2. Any content that depicts excessively violent or forced sexual acts, including rape or slapping, hitting, or torture with sexual activity, urination, defecation, or vomiting in conjunction with sexual activity, sexual activity that involves the participation of animals, vaginal fist insertion, real or simulated incest, or real or simulated sex with a dead body.
3. Promoting hacking and cracking sites.
4. Promoting anti-virus software.
5. Promoting “cleaner” software.
6. Fake system notifications or alerts.
7. Any copyrighted material or imitation of that without consent of the copyright owner (i.e., Google Play Store, Android, Apple, etc.).
8. Promoting “revenge porn,” that is sexually explicit media that is publicly shared online without the consent of the pictured individual.
9. Any material that offers illegal products or services.
10. Promoting incentives for online activity to surf websites, click on ads, or any activity that artificially enhances website or advertiser metrics.
11. Promoting violence, racial intolerance, or advocacy against any individual, group, or organization.
12. Promoting fake documents, copied material, or paper mills.
13. Promoting illegal drugs or any related paraphernalia.
14. Sales or offers of weapons, alcohol, tobacco, or any related paraphernalia.
15. Promotion or any attempt to profit from human tragedy or suffering.
16. Promoting illegal activities.
17. Promoting gambling or online betting that is targeted to the US (unless authorized in the specific jurisdiction).
18. Promoting prostitution or escort services or promoting or facilitating human or sex trafficking.
19. “Free” offers in which the redemption requirements are overly burdensome as to not constitute a free item.
20. Any link to a website that contains unacceptable content.

Truth in Advertising Guidelines

1. Advertising placed by advertisers through Clickaine must not contain false, misleading, fraudulent, or deceptive claims or content.
2. Any advertiser that places an advertisement through Clickaine that is determined to contain false, misleading, fraudulent, or deceptive claims or content or that does not comport with Clickaine’s terms of services agreement will be subject to an immediate and permanent ban from using the platform. Once an advertiser is banned from using Clickaine, that advertiser must not create a new account with Clickaine or otherwise try to use the Clickaine service in any way.
3. Determination of whether an advertisement contains false, misleading, fraudulent, or deceptive content or does not comply with Clickaine’s terms of service agreement will be at Clickaine’s sole discretion.
4. Advertisers who place advertising through Clickaine are solely responsible for the content of the advertisements that they place. By placing an advertisement through Clickaine, the advertiser:
   • Confirms to Clickaine that the content of the advertisement is factually accurate;
   • Confirms to Clickaine that it has the right to use any video, still images, logos, or any other intellectual property contained within the advertisement; and
   • States that the advertisement is appropriate and accurate for the designated website category, niche, or rating.
5. The destination website reached through any advertisement placed through Clickaine must not link to any prohibited content or services.
6. Advertisers are responsible for making sure that all advertisements placed through Clickaine comply with all “Truth in Advertising” laws.

Transparency, Reporting, and Appeal Process

In compliance with the DSA, Clickaine is committed to transparency and user rights concerning content moderation decisions.

Notice of Moderation Actions

If your content is removed or your account is suspended, Clickaine will provide a notice within 24 to 48 hours detailing the reason for the action. Users have the right to request an explanation and submit an appeal.

Appeal Process

Users may submit appeals regarding moderation decisions through our support portal. Appeals will be reviewed within five business days, and users will receive a response with a decision explanation.

Transparency Reporting

Clickaine will publish periodic transparency reports, in compliance with the DSA, detailing:

1. Moderation Statistics: Including the number of content removal actions and reasons.
2. Appeals and Outcomes: Summarizing appeals submitted and their outcomes.
3. Cooperation with Authorities: Describing any formal cooperation with law enforcement or regulatory bodies, where applicable.

Consequences of AUP Violations

If a violation of this AUP is confirmed, Clickaine may restrict, suspend, or terminate your account and seek recovery for investigation costs. Repeat violations carry escalating fines, up to and including account termination. Decisions on termination are final.

Reporting AUP Violations

Anyone can report suspected AUP violations by email at abuse@clickaine.com or through our portal at https://clickaine.com/abuse. Clickaine will investigate reports and take action as appropriate within 24 to 48 hours.