AppLovin Policies for Demand Partners

Overview

Effective: March 25, 2024
Last Updated: February 23, 2024

Introduction*

Unless otherwise indicated by AppLovin, when you use the Services as an advertiser, media buyer, ad agency, demand-side platform, merchant, another provider of advertisements, or any other entity that bids on ad inventory or serves ads through the Services (individually, “you” or “your” and collectively, the “Demand Partners”), you must adhere to these AppLovin Policies for Demand Partners (the “Policies”).  These Policies apply in addition to any other policies or agreements governing your use of the Services, including the AppLovin Terms of Use Agreement.

AppLovin seeks to create a safe, fair, and transparent ecosystem for publishers to monetize their content and for advertisers to reach prospective customers with useful, relevant products and services.  AppLovin also wants to ensure a safe and positive experience for end users.  Maintaining trust in the ads ecosystem and preserving the reputation and credibility of AppLovin, the Services, and those that use the Services, require setting minimum standards for the delivery of ads through the Services.  

AppLovin may update these Policies at any time by posting the updated version on the AppLovin website.  If an update includes material changes, AppLovin will provide notice via email.  By continuing to use the Services, you agree to the updated Policies.

Contents

General Compliance Obligations

Your business practices, including your ads served through the Services, and data handling must comply with and not cause AppLovin to violate any applicable laws, including data protection, consumer protection, commerce, advertising, and product laws, age-related restrictions, licensing/certification requirements, labeling and disclaimer requirements, advertising guidelines, and any similar regulatory requirements or self-regulatory guidance, intellectual property and license restrictions, any consents or disclosures required to integrate third-party technology with the Services, or any third-party contractual terms, licenses, policies, or guidelines.

Content Restrictions

The Content Restrictions applicable to your use of the Services fall into three categories:

  1. You may not use the Services to deliver ads that contain any prohibited content.
  2. You may be allowed to use the Services to deliver ads that contain restricted content, subject to certain limitations and requirements.
  3. You may not use the services to deliver ads concerning products or services that are generally prohibited for minors under the age of 18. 

AppLovin reserves the right to review and prohibit or restrict all content on a case-by-case basis.

a. Prohibited Content

Demand Partners may not use the Services to deliver ads containing any of the following prohibited content categories:

  • Illegal or illicit products, activities, or services.
  • Sexually explicit or other adult content, including pornographic or highly suggestive content or images, explicit, obscured or implied sexual acts, or explicit or implied sexual language.
  • Graphic or explicit violence, including assault/rape, injury to human beings or animals, or any acts or torture or terrorism.
  • Harassment, intimidation, bullying, excessive profanity, threats, or content that can be characterized as hate speech that advocates violence or discrimination against any group, organization, or individual.  This includes groups, organizations, or individuals identified by their race or ethnic origin, religion, disability/medical condition, age, national origin, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, political association, or any other characteristic associated with systemic discrimination or marginalization.
  • Illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia, or substance abuse.
  • Weapons and weapon accessories, including guns, gun accessories or ammunition, and explosives.
  • Content that violates or infringes upon any third-party intellectual property rights, including the sale or promotion of counterfeit products, file sharing, torrenting, or other infringing content, or content that violates or infringes any other third-party rights, including confidentiality obligations.
  • Defamatory or libelous content.
  • Content that makes misleading, deceptive, or unrealistic claims, unreliable or harmful claims, or enables dishonest behavior.  This includes things like make-money-fast schemes, chain letters, or pyramid schemes, or products or services that help users mislead others or gain unauthorized access to systems, devices, or property.
  • Content that entices engagement under false or unclear pretenses, attempts to obtain personal information unlawfully or fraudulently, or trick users into sharing personal information.
  • False or misleading news.
  • Internet abuse, including the use or distribution of viruses or spyware/malware, corrupted files, or other materials that could damage, render inoperable, or gain unauthorized access to any computer, device, network, or any of the associated data or personal information.
  • Promotion of black-hat hacking, cracking, or warez.
  • Political.
  • Content that promotes digital assets that contain more ads than Publisher content, appears designed primarily to display ads, or would otherwise fail to meet the Minimum Content Requirements of the AppLovin Policies for Publishers.
  • Content that promotes launcher apps (or similar digital assets) that have the ability to customize default device home screens or launcher settings (or perform similar functions).
  • Content or material that offers traffic generation or promotes fraudulent traffic.
  • Other forms of shocking or disturbing content, including but not limited to graphic depictions of bodily functions, or grotesque images, footage, or audio.

b. Restricted Content

Demand Partners may be permitted, in AppLovin’s sole discretion, to use the Services to deliver ads containing any of the following restricted content categories, if they strictly adhere to any country- or region-specific laws, rules, or regulations (including any age-related restrictions, licensing/certification requirements, labeling and disclaimer requirements, advertising guidelines, and any similar requirements), these Policies, and any other applicable AppLovin policies or agreements:

  • Alcohol;
  • Gambling apps or websites, including online or offline lotteries, casinos, sports betting, and social casino games;
  • Tobacco;
  • Financial Services, investing, retirement planning, or similar;
  • Health and pharmaceutical products and services, including prescription drugs; and/or
  • Cause-based advertising.

If your ad contains or may contain any of these restricted content categories, you must notify the AppLovin account team and obtain approval before attempting to serve the ad through the Services.

c. Content Prohibited for Minors

In addition to the other content prohibitions and restrictions set forth above, you may not use the Services to deliver ads to children or deliver ads concerning products or services that are generally prohibited for minors under the age of 18.

General Requirements and Other Standards

  • Creative Ad Attributes and Technical Requirements. You must comply with any ad specifications, technical requirements, or other documentation provided by AppLovin, including by respecting the attributes within the “battr” field of the bid requests and by providing any information required by the ad specifications.  In addition, your ads must comply with all applicable laws, including labeling and disclaimer requirements, advertising guidelines, and similar requirements.
  • Deceptive or Misleading Elements.  Your ads must not contain content, experiences, or behavior designed to be deceptive or misleading.  This includes elements like redirects to unwanted content without user action, fake messages that lead to an ad or landing page when clicked, fake error messages or system flags, malware or unwanted software or downloads, or any other elements that attempt to trick a user into interactions, engagement, or sharing their personal information.
  • Evasive Ad Content or Circumventing Systems.  You may not manipulate ad components to attempt to bypass detection or enforcement or engage in practices that attempt to circumvent or interfere with AppLovin’s systems and processes (including AppLovin’s ad review systems).
  • Safety or Security Risks.  Your use of the Services may not interfere with the operation of the Services, the normal operation of an end user’s device, or otherwise create a safety or security risk to AppLovin, the Services, or those that use the Services, including any transmissions which may damage, interfere with, surreptitiously intercept, or expropriate any system, program, data, or personal information.  Any Demand Partners deemed unsafe or a security risk by AppLovin or reputable third parties may be suspended without further notice in AppLovin’s sole discretion until any safety or security issues have been addressed to AppLovin’s satisfaction. 
  • Open Measurement.  AppLovin SDK version 5.14.0 and above includes the IAB Open Measurement SDK (“OM SDK”), which enables third-party ad measurement partners to collect signals regarding ad impressions and performance for industry-standard ad measurement.  The OM SDK also facilitates features like brand safety and fraud detection.

    You may only work with measurement partners that partner with the Open Measurement Working Group to conduct measurements for advertisers using the OM SDK.  You must ensure an adequate legal basis for all personal data processing in connection with the OM SDK.  If you use a third-party vendor for measurements using the OM SDK, AppLovin will not be engaged in personal data processing in connection with the OM SDK.
  • Better Ads Standards.  AppLovin requires compliance with the Better Ads Standards.  For more information about the types of disallowed ad experiences, please visit the Coalition for Better Ads.

General Privacy Requirements  

You must comply with all applicable laws and regulations concerning privacy and data protection. 

  • Privacy Policy: You must have and abide by a privacy policy that complies with all applicable laws and clearly discloses any data collection, usage, and sharing.  You must require advertisers and customers to abide by your privacy policy, as well as these Policies and any other policies or agreements governing your use of the Services. 
  • Notice and Consent: Publishers must provide visible notice to end users and where necessary obtain a valid, specific, and informed consent from end users regarding the scope of collection, use, sharing, or other processing of data by AppLovin for advertising and related purposes (including for serving interest-based advertising and improving the Services, including our AI-powered technologies) as described in AppLovin’s Privacy Policy.  Your processing of personal data remains subject to any consent obtained by Publishers and, in all cases, may not extend beyond the purpose(s) authorized by the end user, absent appropriate legal grounds for such additional processing.
  • Honoring Privacy Choices, Age-Related Flags, and Opt-Out Rights: You must respect all end user- or device-based privacy choices or age-related flags made known to you, including, for example, DNT = 1, other signals indicating a “sale” or “share” opt-out (or similar opt-out) under any privacy legislation (including the laws of the U.S. states that have enacted comprehensive consumer privacy laws, as well as similar consumer privacy laws that may be enacted in the future), other signals indicating an opt-out from interest-based advertising, COPPA (as defined below) flags or age-related flags related to laws of similar effect in any applicable jurisdiction or under any applicable app store policies, or flags indicating a change in any prior consent.  In addition, you must provide end users with any opt-out rights required by applicable law, including by posting appropriate links to exercise those rights. 
  • Compliance with Privacy and Data Security Obligations: You must not collect or use any data received through the Services for purposes other than those set out in these Policies or in any other policies or agreements governing your use of the Services.  In addition, you must implement adequate technical, security, and organizational measures to protect any data from loss and misuse, as well as any unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction.  You must also provide a way for individuals to contact you with inquiries and requests regarding their personal data.  If for any reason you cannot comply with any privacy obligation set out in these Policies or in any other policies or agreements governing your use of the Services, you must (i) promptly inform AppLovin by contacting your AppLovin account team with the subject “Privacy: Demand Partner Non-Compliance,” (ii) take all necessary steps to remedy such non-compliance, and (iii) promptly cease use of any data received through the Services until you have remedied the non-compliance.

Prohibition on Sensitive Personal Data

  • Sensitive Personal Data: You may not use the Services to infer, collect, track, send, share, identify, or associate with any individual, household, or device any information concerning racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical affiliation or beliefs, trade-union membership, health, sex life or sexual orientation, criminal convictions or alleged commission of an offense, genetic data, biometric data, government-issued identifiers, financial account information, account log-in credentials, the contents of user communications, precise geolocation information, or any other information that could be considered sensitive personal information under applicable laws.  In addition, in any data that you may share with AppLovin, you may not include any such sensitive categories of data.
  • Prohibition on Ads to and Personal Information from Children: You must comply with all applicable laws and policies governing the collection and use of personal information from children.  This includes the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”), laws of similar effect in any applicable jurisdictions in the collection and use of “Personal Information” (as defined by COPPA or other applicable laws) from children, as well as any applicable app store policies.  AppLovin does not knowingly collect personal information from children or serve ads to children.  You may not provide AppLovin with personal information from children or use the Services to serve ads to children.

Miscellaneous

You may not use the Services in a manner that abuses, exploits, undermines, or otherwise disrupts the Services. 

All pricing information, including bidding-related information or any information that would allow a third party to ascertain revenue share, constitutes AppLovin Confidential Information. You may not disclose pricing information, except as expressly permitted by AppLovin in writing.

The highest bid may not always win an auction, such as when a buyer, seller, or AppLovin specifies requirements on bidding terms, or specifies exclusions regarding who may buy inventory. The Services allow for transactions in real time, and bids and offers may compete simultaneously against multiple other bids and offers.

AppLovin makes no guarantee regarding the frequency and access to ad inventory, the level of impressions of ads, and/or the timing of delivery of such impressions.

Enforcement

Any actual or suspected violation of these Policies (or any agreement governing your use of the Services, including the AppLovin Terms of Use Agreement) may result, in AppLovin’s sole discretion, in AppLovin blocking or limiting your ads or content from being served through the Services, the suspension or termination of your account or access to the Services, and/or the imposition of limits on your account or access to the Services, including limits on your ability to bid on or serve ads through the Services.

How to Contact Us

Please contact [email protected] with any questions regarding these Policies. 

*Capitalized terms have the meanings ascribed to them in the AppLovin Terms of Use Agreement, unless otherwise indicated.

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