Last revised: October 2010
Policies
Context aware ads--search inventory
Social ads and third-party applications or APIs
Tell-a-friend services and lead generation
Contests
Ads that promote an advertiser's contest or promotion must either include a link to the contest's or promotion's official rules or contain a short summary of the contest's eligibility requirements from the ad or the landing page.
Context aware ads--search inventory
Context aware ads use search input to change the ad's user interface and behavior. The ad usually pulls user interface information from an advertiser's database of inventory (e.g. showing inventory from a retailer's database). Ads that search product inventories should build in a "blacklist" of terms such that ads do not show objectionable or illegal content when an objectionable term is entered into a search box. For example, inventory ads localized to France should not be able to search for Nazi memorabilia.
Data capture service
Advertisers can gather information, including Personally Identifiable Information (PII), directly entered by users into rich media ads. Such PII may not under any circumstances be correlated or combined with the DoubleClick/Adsense cookie. For example, if a user provides their first name in an ad, it is prohibited to attempt to determine the DoubleClick cookie id that corresponds to this name.
Captured data may not include sensitive information in some cases, including:
- Financial status or account information
- Racial or ethnic information
- Health/medical history or information
- Sexual behavior/orientation
- Information about children under the age of 13
- Political opinions/beliefs
- Trade union membership
- Credit card and Social security numbers
- government services agreements
If advertisers include any fields that collect personal information in the ad, the ad must contain a link to the advertiser's privacy policy that includes language which identifies and outlines the particular service they are using (such as tell-a-friend or data capture services), and the collection and use of the data related to these services. In some cases, if the ad does not contain a direct link to the advertiser's privacy policy, then the advertiser's landing page must contain a link to their privacy policy. (See also Google tips for online safety.)
Data collection and ownership
Advertisers cannot access data collected through ad form fields through the DoubleClick DART system. All data will be provided through an offline process (e.g. spreadsheet).
For data capture information stored by DoubleClick directly, DoubleClick may remove data related to the tell-a-friend, offline message, and data capture services 60 days after the data was collected without advertiser notification. Within the 60 days, advertisers can access the data through email or other manual processes, or DoubleClick can provide the data using a password chosen by the advertiser.
Downloads
Ads cannot trigger fee-based downloads without the user's prior consent to pay (e.g. mobile ringtone subscriptions).
Ads may not contain links or interactions which directly initiate the download of a client application automatically. This includes plug-ins, browser helper objects, or other executable code that would run on a user's computer. If you would like to promote such a download via your ad, we recommend you use a click-URL to lead users to a landing page that allows them to initiate the download or request the user's permission before beginning the download.
Flash cookies
Ads may not use any flash cookies.
Geo aware ads
Geo-aware ads are those that use a viewer's IP location to localize the ad's geographic content in a way that's visible to the viewer (the ad usually includes a local maps component). When the targeting is more specific than the city level, the Geo-aware ads should include an "About this ad" link in the creative or in a landing page that explains how the geo-targeting works. An example disclaimer includes:
"This is a new ad from Company X. You may have noticed that it shows the closest Company X store to your current geographical location--your IP address is used to approximate your location to the city level and no address information is shared with Company X."
Google Maps
For ads incorporating a Google Maps component or Google Maps functionality in any way into the Rich Media ad, the advertiser agrees to the Maps API terms of service.
Send to phone
Send-to-phone ads have a field that allows viewers to send themselves information about the ad through SMS. This is different from tell-a-friend where the ad encourages the viewer to share the ad with a friend.
- Ads can only use text messages to send messages to the users themselves.
- The ad text must say: "send to yourself" and may not say "send to a friend."
- The text message cannot include user-contributed content.
- All phone numbers must be deleted after sending to the phone and can only be used for the purposes of limiting the number of messages sent. Advertisers may not store or log this information in any way.
- The ad must include a notice of one-time use in the ad, e.g. "Your phone number is only used for the purpose of this feature" or the advertiser landing page must contain a link to a privacy policy that identifies and outlines the particular service they are using (such as tell-a-friend or data capture services), and the collection and use of data related to these services.
- The limit to the number of allowable messages sent is one referral text message to any one phone number per creative.
Social ads and third-party applications or APIs
Social ads include OpenSocial or other social media integration. They should not be targeted to sensitive information available on social networks (see definition of "sensitive information" under "Data Capture Service," above), and all content included from social media integration ads must be owned and controlled by the advertiser.
For ads incorporating third-party applications or APIs, all ads must meet the following criteria:
- Advertiser must be wholly compliant with third party's terms and/or have third-party approval where applicable.
- Advertiser must use an approved or official version of the API or application.
- Advertiser may not pass any data from the third party either to or through DoubleClick's servers.
Tell-a-friend services and lead generation
Users can send a referral email, text message, or voicemail through the ad unit to a chosen recipient for viral campaigns. All such ads must meet the following criteria:
- Email addresses and phone numbers may not be used for any other purpose except to share the ad. For lead generation, advertiser may only send user information outlined to user when their data was collected.
- The ad must include notice of one-time use in ad, e.g. "Your email address is only used for the purpose of this feature," or the advertiser landing page must contain a link to a privacy policy that identifies and outlines the particular service they are using (such as tell-a-friend or data capture services), and the collection and use of data related to these services.
- The ad must include both a 'To' and a 'From' field for the user to populate.
- The tell-a-friend feature may not be used in an ad that provides an incentive for sharing the ad with a friend (e.g. coupon, movie tickets, cash).
- The ad backend must include a cap on the number of referrals that can be sent to one particular email address or phone number from a particular ad. This cap is per campaign.
For lead generation ads, where the aim is to collect user's personally identifiable data for ongoing marketing messaging, ads must meet the following criteria:
- Ads may only collect the user's own information for ongoing marketing purposes.
- Ads may only use the information submitted by the user for marketing purposes.
- Ads must clearly state that the data will be used for ongoing marketing purposes, e.g. "Sign up to receive our weekly deal emails" or "Join our mailing list."
Additionally, for the email sent to the user:
- Email messages must contain a link to, or information about, the ad and/or product/service promoted.
- Email messages must clearly identify both the advertiser and the user who sent the ad (e.g. a "To" and "From" field).
- Email messages must include advertiser's postal address.
- All messages that are sent through advertiser's backend must include an easy-to-understand opt-out method for the receiver of the email that complies with CAN-SPAM regulations.
- The limit to the number of allowable messages sent is three referral emails per ad to any one email address.
- Specific to tell-a-friend emails: Email messages must clearly identify the user who sent the ad (e.g. a "To" and "From" field), in addition to the advertiser.
Additionally, for text messages:
- Text messages must clearly identify both the advertiser and the user who sent the ad.
- The limit to the number of allowable messages sent is one referral text message per ad to any one phone number.
- No messages may be sent to an internet domain name of a wireless service provider.
- Specific to tell-a-friend emails: Text messages must clearly identify the user who sent the ad (e.g. a "To" and "From" field), in addition to the advertiser.
Additionally, for offline message service:
- Users can send a voice mail to a chosen recipient using an IVR provider.
- Voice mail must clearly identify both the advertiser and the user who sent the ad.
- The limit to the number of allowable messages sent is one referral voicemail per ad to any one phone number.
- Specific to tell-a-friend emails: Offline messages must clearly identify the user who sent the ad (e.g. a "To" and "From" field), in addition to the advertiser.
Widget ads
Each Widget Ad needs to include a link to a page in the advertiser's primary Web site. The home page must feature a conspicuous link to a privacy policy that covers the DART Service.