General Creative Guidelines

Prohibited Behavior:

Auto-redirects (automatically redirecting users without their engagement or direct action, e.g. click or touch)
Pop ads (including pop-ups, pop-unders, pop-overs, exit pops)
Auto-downloads
Spyware, malware, or viruses
Expandable ads that automatically expand without user action
Auto-refresh
Deceptive ads resembling user interface elements (e.g. text boxes) that do not request user consent before initiating services and/or fees; this includes click-to-call and click-to-subscribe ads without an intermediary landing page or clear prompts explaining applicable terms and/or fees
Deceptive ads that circumvent or interfere (or attempt to circumvent or interfere) with advertising operations, including but not limited to creative scanning (e.g. cloaking ad content or behavior to avoid detection by quality controls)
Deceptive ads resembling Windows dialog boxes or alert-style notifications (i.e. creatives that users may mistake for OS- or application-level notifications rather than advertisements)

Prohibited Content:

IAB25 – Non-Standard Content:
- IAB25-1 Unmoderated user-generated content (UGC)
- IAB25-2 Extreme graphic or explicit violence
- IAB25-3 Pornography or adult content
- IAB25-4 Profane content
- IAB25-5 Hate content
- IAB25-6 Under construction pages
- IAB25-7 Incentivized content
IAB26 – Illegal Content:
- IAB26-1 Illegal content
- IAB26-2 Warez
- IAB26-3 Spyware or malware
- IAB26-4 Copyright infringement
IAB9-9 Cigars, tobacco, and tobacco accessories
Alcohol
Gambling and sweepstakes
Pharmaceuticals, drugs, and drug paraphernalia
Weapons and weapon accessories
Promotion of free desktop software, unless the ad clearly states the specific software being promoted and links to the authoritative online distribution source
Counterfeit goods (products described as knock-offs, replicas, imitations, clones, faux, fake, mirror images, or similar terms when referring to a brand, or non-genuine products that mimic brand features to pass as genuine)
Products enabling dishonest behavior (products or services that help users mislead others or enable unauthorized access to, or unauthorized changes to, systems, devices, or property)

Restricted Content:

Dec 12, 2025