In order to advertise with WhitePages.com ("WhitePages") and its network of websites (the "Network"), your advertisements must comply with these guidelines (the "Guidelines"). WhitePages reserves the right to modify these Guidelines at any time without further notice to you. The most recent version of the Guidelines will be posted here. By advertising on the Network you agree to periodically review the Guidelines to ensure that your advertisements remain in compliance with them.
1. General Guidelines
Unless waived by WhitePages, advertisements must meet the requirements below:
- Advertisements shall comply with all guidelines for Internet advertising promulgated by relevant governmental agencies, including but not limited to the Federal Trade Commission (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/ecommerce/bus28.shtm).
- Advertisements should be clearly designated as such and should not appear to be part of the Network content ("Content").
- Advertisements should be encased in a border, or if borderless, an advertisement must contain the advertiser's name and a notation signifying that it is an advertisement, and not Content.
- Advertisements may never use (without WhitePages' written permission) any portion of the WhitePages brand name, trademark or service mark to imply affiliation with or an endorsement by WhitePages or indicate the advertisement is a WhitePages product, content or service.
- As a general rule, "functionality" advertisements should avoid use of WhitePages color schemes. If "functionality" advertisements use WhitePages color schemes, the advertisements must include text such as "advertisement" in the upper bar or top left-hand side of the banner OR "for more information, click here!" with a cursor embedded into the image to encourage users to click there AND the advertiser's name (e.g., "from ABC company").
2. Identification of Company Name
Either the advertisement or the landing page of the advertisement shall contain the name of the company, or some other obvious identifier of the company responsible for the content, so that the end user knows which organization either purchased the advertisement or is being advertised.
The advertisement must logically correspond with the landing page. You may not use a "bait and switch" resolution. Examples: the banner ad is for bathing suits and the resolve is to an adult content page; or the ad states ‘looking for a date?’ and the landing page is a web site selling clothing.
3. End User Experience
Advertisements submitted by or on behalf of an advertiser may not:
- utilize ‘mouse trapping’ whereby the advertiser does not allow end users to use their ‘back button’ and traps them on their site;
- indicate knowledge about the functionality of the end user's personal computer;
- pretend to know details about a user’s computer/system, including what is/is not installed or that it has discovered viruses, worms, corrupted files, etc. (i.e. scare tactics to make users buy/download software etc.);
- promote or contain viruses, worms, corrupted files, cracks or other material that is intended to or may damage or render inoperable software, hardware or security measures of WhitePages or any third party;
- have a pop-up ad or a pop-under ad launched from within an ad or from the landing page, whether real or imitated behavior;
- perform an automatic download of anything to an end user's system or present a download dialog box without first presenting detailed information to the end user about the download and then requiring the end user to click to download the product;
- mimic news headlines in design, tone, 3rd person sentence structure, or topic; or
- utilize any strobing or distracting mechanism.
4. Destination Sites / Landing Pages
The page/site clicked through to or from an advertisement must adhere to the policies herein on adult content and illegal activity both for advertising and editorial content.
5. Software Downloads, Freeware and Shareware Advertisers
Advertisers which offer software downloads, freeware or shareware may not facilitate and/or promote, whether directly or indirectly:
- the sale or use of software that ‘sneaks’ onto an end user’s system and performs activities hidden to the end user;
- the sale or use of software the purpose of which is to collect demographic and usage information from an end user's computer without their express consent (note: that the term "spyware" is often used to describe this type of software and the information collected by such software is usually used for advertising purposes);
- the sale or use of software bundled as hidden components of other software whether free or for fee;
- sale or use of software that alters, harms, disables or replaces any software installed on an end user's computer without their express consent
- automatic downloads; or
- presentation of download dialog boxes without requiring an end user's express action (click) to perform a download.
If an advertiser requires the end user to provide Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in connection with a download, the advertiser must comply with the following requirements:
- information on how the information collected is being used must be clearly presented;
- information collected shall not be shared with a third party without an explicit opt-out;
- advertisers must provide instructions within their privacy policy regarding how to opt-out of any future unsolicited promotional communication, whether by email or other method; or
- any further communication from the advertiser resulting from PII collected via advertisements must contain an explicit opt-out (in each and every piece of unsolicited promotional email).
6. Lead Generation
The provider of any advertising that involves lead generation, such as driving end users to sign up for online or offline direct marketing or any other such offer, must:
- clearly disclose the provider’s name;
- include a separate, conspicuous opt-in specific to each offer;
- provide an opt-out for promotional communication, including an opt-out for each follow-up promotional communication;
- provide an obvious and direct link to the provider’s privacy policy; or
- present the offer requirements and limitations in a clear, conspicuous manner prior to asking end users to provide any PII.
If an end user chooses ‘no’ to any (or all) of the offers presented, the advertiser will not be given a second opportunity to re-market to that end user within the session.
The offers presented as part of a single advertising experience must be of a ‘reasonable’ number.
7. Graphic, Offensive, or Adult Related Content
WhitePages will not accept the following on any advertisement or web site accessible through an advertisement:
- nudity – any images that reveal nipples, genitals, buttocks, or excessive cleavage; bathing suits are permitted, unless they do not cover these body parts;
- sex scenes – images of people in positions or activities that are suggestive or sexual (i.e., sexually provocative touching, bondage);
- material intended for persons over 18 (e.g., mature sexual themes, nudity and/or sexual activity);
- crude or indecent language;
- pornography or obscenity;
- crude, offensive, indecent or inappropriate language or proxies for bad language such as “X@#%!”;
- graphic violence; or
- any material offensive to the average reasonable person on the basis of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or disability.
8. WebCams / Surveillance Equipment
Advertisements that facilitate and/or promote the sale of webcams or surveillance equipment must promote and/or suggest only legitimate uses of such equipment. Promoting the use of a product for any illegal surveillance, including but not limited to purposely spying on people whether for pleasure or any other reason is strictly prohibited.
9. Particular Products
Advertisements for guns or firearms, ammunition, illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia or any illegal product are prohibited.
10. Intellectual Property Rights, Trademarks, Piracy, and/or Copyrights
The infringement or misappropriation of WhitePages' or any third party’s intellectual property rights, including but not limited to trademarks, trade names, designs, patents, copyright and personality is strictly prohibited.
11. Online Pharmacies
WhitePages will not accept advertising from unlicensed pharmacies.
12. Gambling Content (i.e. fantasy sports, horseracing)
Under no circumstance is content that facilitates and/or promotes illegal gambling allowed. Advertisements for gambling are only permitted with respect to casinos and gaming institutions that are lawful in their local jurisdiction and which only allow players from that jurisdiction to participate. Advertisements for lawful gambling related services are permitted to the extent they do not advertise or advocate illegal activity (e.g., poker training schools).
13. Advertising/Sites Designed for Children
Soliciting PII is not permitted in advertisements designed for or targeting children.
14. Liquor and Tobacco
Advertisements for tobacco or tobacco-related products are not permitted.
Advertisements for liquor, beer or wine are permitted provided they (1) screen out (and do not target) any individuals under 18 years of age, (2) contain the appropriate warnings; and (3) comply with applicable federal and state laws.
15. Political Advertising
Political advertising must be clearly labeled to indicate the person or entity who paid for the advertising, and must otherwise comply with federal and state laws regulating political advertising.
16. WhitePages' Discretion
WhitePages, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to approve or reject any ad, insertion order, graphic, text description or URL which does not meet these Guidelines or any other WhitePages policies. In cases where only minor changes are required for an ad to comply with the Guidelines, WhitePages may edit an advertisement and shall not be liable for its edits. WhitePages may additionally remove any advertisements which it believes violate its policies or any state, federal, or local laws. In the event it removes any advertisements WhitePages will not be liable for any damages, including but not limited to consequential damages or lost profits.