Publisher and supply partner guidelines 

User traffic quality guidelines: 

1. User traffic quality guidelines

Invalid user traffic is strictly prohibited. Clicks, impressions, conversions, installs, or attributions generated without legitimate human user intent or by non-human activity are also prohibited. Any Publisher engaging in these activities will be blocked.

1.1 Artificial traffic

Publishers are prohibited from using code, software, robots, or tactics that generate artificial bid requests, impressions, clicks, installs, or attributions.

1.1.1 Invalid clicks

• Clicks on ads must be made by human users with genuine interest.
• Clicks must not be generated by publishers clicking on their ads.
• Code, software, or tactics that artificially generate clicks or impressions are strictly prohibited.
• Automated clicking tools, traffic sources, robots, deceptive software, click spam, or click injections are strictly prohibited.
• Clicks outside the visible ad surface can not be counted as intended clicks.

1.1.2  Invalid installs and invalid attributions

Publishers are prohibited from using:

• Code, software, robots, traffic sources, or tactics designed to take credit for the app installs artificially and or attribution
• Code, software, robots, traffic sources, or tactics designed to generate installs that are not of legitimate human user interest

1.2 Prohibited ad rendering

Ad rendering activity that uses ad injection, hidden ads, stacked malware, or adware is strictly prohibited.

1.3  User-agent manipulation or modification

Code, software, robots, traffic sources, or other tactics designed to disguise, change, modify, or manipulate the user's user-agent string is prohibited.

1.4 Cookie stuffing, cookie alteration, and HTTP header manipulation

• Cookie stuffing is strictly prohibited, publishers are prohibited from using any form of code, software, robots, or traffic sources designed to capture cookies and insert them into a browser cache to claim that a legitimate user has visited the advertiser or publisher domain
• illumin pixels, cookies, and buyer IDs must not be manipulated by publishers
• Manipulation of HTTP header fields is prohibited

1.5 Auction manipulation

Manipulation, interference, misrepresentation, or abuse of real-time bidding auction processes to gain unfair advantages in selling ad impressions is strictly prohibited.

1.6 Manipulation of URL, domain, and app/bundle ID

• Manipulating, spoofing, or altering domains or page URLs, app IDs, or bundle IDs is strictly prohibited.
• Obfuscating, altering, or misrepresenting the source, domain, app id, app bundle, or URL is strictly prohibited.

1.7 Prohibited sources of traffic

Publishers cannot use prohibited sources of traffic to generate impressions. Prohibited sources include:

• Botnets, Traffic farms, Data centers, Virtual machines, Emulators, Adware/Malware, or Proxy traffic.
• Any source of Traffic that uses code, software, robots, or tactics to fake legitimate human users.

1.8 Deceptive, malicious, or harmful site design

Publishers are prohibited from the following:

• Interfering, manipulating, or causing harm to the security or integrity of the illumin platform or users of the illumin platform.
• Arbitrage ad calls that cause abnormally delayed loading times, delayed ad rendering, or any other abnormal software behavior.
• Use of tactics that manipulate or circumvent explicit choices of the user to generate an impression
• Change the user's preferences or browser settings.
• Auto-Initiate downloads.
• Auto-redirecting the user to another page or domain without the user's.
• Use tactics or methods that Intentionally confuse or mislead users.
• Force downloads.
• Contain, distribute, or promote adware, spyware, malware, viruses, or other harmful code or software.

2. Content prohibitions

Publishers sites or apps cannot contain content listed under illumin's prohibited categories. These categories include:

2.1 Financial services and commercial incentives

Site and apps cannot contain content that:

• Deceptively encourage clicks on third-party offers unrelated to the content on the site or app.
• Offer incentives to users in exchange for clicks on ads.
• Facilitate, distribute, promote, or provide instruction on illegal or questionable financial activities.
• Provides financial advice that exaggerates potential financial returns or promotes risk-free financial gains.
• Facilitate, distribute, promote, or provide instruction or information on tax evasion, money laundering, or other illegal financial activities.

2.2 Violence, harassment, and hate speech

The site must not contain content that:

• Is hateful, discriminatory, or promotes harassment of any groups or individuals based upon their race, sex, nationality, religious affiliation, age, or sexual orientation.
• Promotes hate groups that declare supremacy based on race, sex, nationality, religious affiliation, age, or sexual orientation.
• Glorifies, promotes, or condones violence against others.
• Encourages, advocates, or provides information about suicide or other forms of self-harm.

2.3 Children and user data

The site must not contain content that:

• Targets children below the age required for consent for the collection of personal data, as defined by applicable law;
• Display ads to users known to be children under the age of consent for collecting personal data, as defined by applicable law.

2.4 Adult content and pornography

The site must not contain content that:

• Is sexually explicit or pornographic in nature
• Displays nudity, videos, and images of people in sexually suggestive or provocative positions
• Promotes sex in exchange for compensation
• Show sexually explicit cartoon images or videos
• Explicitly shows the use of sexual aids or sex toys
• Displays sexually explicit text, jokes, erotic stories, or descriptions of sexual acts

2.5 Misleading or offensive content

The site must not contain content that:

• Includes misleading or grotesque claims
• Provide mistruths and falsehoods
• Uses false or fabricated information designed to imitate news media content deceitfully
• Exhibits language or images that are violent, disrespectful, vulgar, or explicit
• Deliberate use of fraudulent, false, or deceptive claims to attract user traffic

2.6 Illegal drugs

Sites must not contain content that

• Promotes substances that alter the mental state for recreational purposes
• Encourages recreational drug use, including medical or recreational drugs
• Provides information on producing, purchasing, selling, or using recreational drugs

2.8 Illegal activity

Sites must comply with all applicable laws. Sites must not contain content that violates applicable laws, including, but not limited to:

• Illegal downloads or illegal file-sharing
• Human trafficking or prostitution
• Promotion or sale of illegal goods or services
• Production or distribution of fake or false identification documents
• Information on hacking or cracking computer systems or networks
• Infringement of intellectual property rights (such as copyright infringement)
• Infringement or violation of privacy laws
• Information on the sale, production, or distribution of counterfeit goods or currency

3. Content restrictions

Sites must not contain the restricted content listed below:

3.1 Tobacco

Content that promotes or facilitates the use or consumption of tobacco or tobacco-related products, vaping products, electronic cigarettes, cigarettes, cigars, rolling papers, smokeless tobacco, vapes, vaping devices, pipes, bongs, related paraphernalia, or any other tobacco-related products

4. Ad formats, placements, and guidelines

All sites must comply with the following guidelines:

4.1  Guidelines for native ads

Native ads must be clearly marked as ads, distinguishable from the rest of the Site's content, and clearly display text that reads "Promoted," "Sponsored," or "Ad."

4.2  Ad placement guidelines

Ad placement must not interfere with a user's typical interaction with the Site content or functionalities.

4.3 Pop-up ads, disruptive ads

Sites must not display or place ads that confuse or disrupt the user's experience, including, but not limited to:

• Pop-up Ads
• Automatic Expandable Ads
• Postitial Ads
• Prestitial Ads

4.4 Sticky and adhesive ads

Sites may use sticky or adhesive ads only if they abide by the following rules:

• Ads must include an identifiable close button to close the ad
• The close button must be of adequate size to avoid accidental or unintentional clicks
• Close button must be separate from the ad content to prevent accidental clicks on the ad

4.5 Incentivized ad rewarded click ads

Publishers can offer users the opportunity to view ads in exchange for rewards or incentives, but only if the Publishers does not force users to interact with the ad

4.6 Video ads

• Video is allowed only when the site/publisher owns the video player, owns the video content, or holds exclusive sales rights to the video content
• Video inventory calls must contain accurate information in the description fields and any other required parameters for each video ad unit
• Once a video ad is provided to the publisher by illumin, the ad must be displayed until the ad itself finishes playing, the user skips or closes the ad, or the user navigates away from the video content
• Content playback must be paused when a user clicks on an ad
• No more than one video ad may be shown within the video player at any given time
• Long pre-roll ads must be skippable
• Audio must be user-initiated; auto-playing video ads with sound are prohibited

5. Mobile app ad guidelines

5.1 Ad density

Ads, including sticky ads, in-line ads, and full-screen scroll-over ads, must not occupy more than 30% of the vertical height of the screen. Ad injection, hidden ads, stacked ads, malware, and adware are strictly prohibited.

5.2 App stores

• Only apps originating from official stores may display ads.
• Ads must not be displayed apps that have been removed from official stores.

5.3 Lockscreen ads and screensaver ads

Publishers may not display ads on the lock screen or screensaver of the user's device.

5.4 In-app interstitials

In-app publishers must comply with the following:

• Include a clear and easily identifiable close button that allows users to close the ad.
• The close button must be large and positioned separately from the ad content to avoid accidental clicks.
• Interstitial ads must be displayed inside the app environment when the user is using the app.
• Positioning interstitials in a way that causes inadvertent or unintentional clicks is prohibited.

5.5 Close-button

• Close button must be placed in the upper right corner
• The close button must be clearly visible and of ample size to avoid accidental or unintentional clicks on the ad
• The close button must be of ample size and positioned separately from the ad content to avoid unintentional clicks
• Any mechanism that delays showing the close button is prohibited.
• Misplaced close buttons that lessen the ability of users to close the ad are prohibited
• The close button must be of ample size and positioned separately from the ad content to avoid accidental clicks
• Close button must be clear and easily identifiable close button and allow users to close the ad