Not allowed
Codes and their destinations, fallback pages and messages must not be used for:
- phishing, or collecting passwords, payment or identity details under false pretences;
- malware, unwanted software or drive-by downloads;
- fraud and scams, including fake shops, investment scams and impersonation;
- illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, which we report to the authorities;
- infringement of others’ intellectual property or privacy;
- harassment, threats or incitement to violence;
- evading our safety checks, for example by cloaking destinations or chaining redirects to hide them;
- loops, meaning destinations on our own domains.
How we check
- Every destination is checked against Google Web Risk and our own heuristics when you save it, and again from time to time.
- New accounts with unusual activity may have new codes held for review.
- Anyone can report a code. Reports alone never stop a code, but they trigger an immediate recheck and a review.
What we may do
As set out in Schedule S1.3 of our Terms:
- hold a code for review, for no longer than [5] business days per occasion;
- block a code that breaches this policy, so scanners see a warning page and not the destination;
- block an account after a second confirmed breach.
We email you with our reasons, unless the law or the prevention of harm prevents it, and you can ask us to review the decision.