Publisher Policy

Last updated: 28 July 2025  

1. Introduction and Scope 

This Publisher Policy (“Policy”) governs the use of the Specify advertising platform by all publishers (individuals or entities who display ads via Specify’s services). It is incorporated by reference into Specify’s Terms of Service (“Terms”) and is intended to fully align with those Terms. In the event of any inconsistency between this Policy and the Terms, this Policy will prevail for matters specifically related to publishing. By integrating Specify’s ad code into your site/app or otherwise using Specify’s publisher services, you agree to abide by this Policy in addition to the Terms of Service. Our goal with this Policy is to ensure a fair, transparent, and effective ecosystem for publishers, advertisers, and users. It sets clear standards for site content, ad placement, payout, and compliance when you monetize your properties through Specify. 

2. Performance-Based Revenue Model 

Specify operates a blockchain-powered advertising network using a performance-based revenue model for publishers. This means you earn money only for actual conversions (on-chain user actions attributed to ads on your site), and not for mere ad impressions or clicks alone. Advertisers on Specify pay on a Cost Per Transaction (“CPTx”) basis – they pay a set amount for each conversion. When a conversion is attributed to your ad placement, you earn a portion of that CPTx revenue. In other words, you get paid for tangible results (verified on-chain transactions by users that originated from your site), aligning your earnings directly with meaningful outcomes. This model creates a partnership: we succeed when you deliver users who convert, and advertisers get value for what they pay. 

Base Earnings for Impressions: We operate on a hybrid payment model that includes a guaranteed base payout for ad views. Specifically, you earn $10 for every 1,000 ad impressions (a $10 CPM) served on your site . This base payment is provided to all approved publishers regardless of conversion performance , ensuring you receive some revenue even if those impressions don’t immediately lead to on-chain conversions. However, the majority of your potential earnings still comes from driving actual conversions – simply accumulating impressions without engagement yields only the base rate, while ads that spark genuine user interest and on-chain actions will earn you significantly more. All tracking and billing remains transparent via on-chain events, allowing you (and advertisers) to verify that each recorded conversion – and thus each payout – is legitimate. 

Revenue Share: In addition to the base CPM, we offer a performance-based revenue share on any conversions generated by your traffic. The commission you earn per conversion follows a tiered structure – higher impression-to-conversion rates unlock a larger share, up to 35% for top-tier publishers. These performance bonuses can raise your total earnings. We aim to keep revenue shares very competitive to reward your role in driving conversions, while retaining only a portion necessary to sustain the platform’s operations. The key point remains that your earnings scale with performance – the more genuine conversions your traffic generates, the more you earn. 

3. Conversions and Attribution 

Getting credit (and paid) for conversions requires understanding how Specify attributes a user’s on-chain action back to your ad placement. This section details what counts as a conversion for payment and how attribution works in our system. 

3.1 Conversion Definition 

A “Conversion” for the purposes of this Policy is defined exactly as in our Terms and Advertising Policy: it is an on-chain transaction with the advertiser’s registered smart contract(s) by a user who has not interacted with that advertiser’s product in the 45 days prior to the campaign start. In simpler terms, new or lapsed users count as conversions, while recent active users of the advertiser do not. 

• If a user who sees an ad on your site had already used the advertiser’s product in the last 45 days, their on-chain action won’t count as a conversion (because the advertiser isn’t charged for existing users). 

• If the user was new or inactive (no interaction in >45 days before the campaign) and they perform the qualifying on-chain action after seeing the ad, that will count as a conversion for the campaign – and thus is eligible for publisher payout. 

This means that sometimes an ad click from your site might lead to an on-chain transaction that isn’t counted (if the user was recently active with the advertiser). We apply this rule to ensure conversions represent incremental value (truly new or returning users) for the advertiser. All advertisers must register their relevant smart contract addresses with us, and we use those to determine conversions. As a publisher, you don’t need to manage the contracts, but you should be aware that conversion counting has this limitation. Essentially, you get paid for bringing new business to the advertiser, not for actions the advertiser would’ve gotten from their existing user base anyway. 

3.2 Attribution of Conversions to Publishers 

Specify uses a robust attribution system to credit conversions to the correct publisher. Generally, a conversion is attributed to the last ad impression or click that the user engaged with before performing the on-chain action, within the defined window (see 3.3). In practice, this works as follows: 

• When a user is served an ad on your site, our system records that event along with an anonymous identifier (often tied to a wallet address or browser session). If that user later completes the conversion action (the on-chain transaction defined by the advertiser) within the attribution window, our platform will credit that conversion to your publisher account, assuming yours was the relevant ad they interacted with. 

• If the user saw or clicked ads on multiple publisher sites before converting, we typically use a last-touch model – whichever publisher’s ad was interacted with most recently before the conversion gets the credit. (An “interaction” usually means a click, but our system may also consider view-through conversions in some cases if the user didn’t click but still converted after seeing an ad. We will let you know if view-through attribution applies; by default, click is the clear signal.) 

• Our attribution ties into the blockchain: for example, we might embed a campaign and publisher identifier in the ad link or use other tracking logic so that when the conversion happens on-chain, we can trace it back to the ad source. All this is seamless to you; the important part is that each conversion will be attributed to one publisher – the one deemed responsible for the user’s action. 

We strive to ensure attribution is fair and accurate. If a conversion can’t clearly be attributed (e.g., a user saw ads on two sites and we lack further signal), we have tie-breaker rules (often favoring the last click). These cases are rare and our system algorithms handle it automatically. For transparency, your dashboard will show which conversions (transaction hashes) were credited to you. There is no “shared” or split credit for a single conversion – only one publisher (and one advertiser campaign) will be linked to each on-chain conversion in our billing system. 

3.3 Attribution Window 

The attribution window is the time frame during which a user’s on-chain action can be counted as a conversion for your site after they’ve seen or clicked an ad. The window spans the entire duration of the advertiser’s ad campaign and extends for two (2) weeks after the campaign ends. In practice: 

• If an advertiser’s campaign is running from June 1 to June 30, the attribution window for that campaign’s ads will last until July 14. 

• If a user saw an ad on your site on June 30 (the last day of the campaign) and then performed the conversion action on July 10, that conversion will still be attributed to your site and counted, because it’s within the 2-week post-campaign window. 

• Any qualifying transaction that occurs during the campaign or in that two-week post period is captured and credited. Conversely, if a user converts after the window (say on August 1), it would not count (the advertiser isn’t charged, and you wouldn’t get revenue for it), since it’s outside the agreed attribution period. 

This extended window is there to ensure that late conversions are not missed – users might take some days to act even after seeing an ad. For you as a publisher, it means you could still earn conversions for a short time after an ad campaign has technically ended or after you’ve stopped showing the ads (see Section 4.2). Be aware that removing an ad or the campaign ending doesn’t immediately cut off potential earnings; conversions “in the pipeline” can still come through within two weeks. We handle tracking of all this automatically on the backend. 

3.4 Wallet Linking 

Users in the Web3 world often have multiple blockchain wallet addresses. Specify may utilize wallet linking logic to improve attribution accuracy (in line with our Terms and privacy practices). This means we might treat multiple addresses as belonging to one user if we have technical reason to believe they are controlled by the same person. For example, suppose our system knows (through on-chain analysis or user login data) that Wallet A and Wallet B likely belong to the same user. If an ad was served to Wallet A on your site, and that user later completes the conversion action using Wallet B, we can still count that conversion for your site’s credit. 

From your perspective, wallet linking ensures that you don’t miss out on a conversion just because the user switched addresses. It prevents a scenario where you showed the ad but the user used a different address to transact and it wouldn’t normally match the ad impression. By linking, we catch that and still attribute the conversion to you. We undertake linking carefully (e.g., using heuristic analysis of on-chain behavior or if the user explicitly logs in or connects multiple wallets on our partner sites). All such linking is done in compliance with our Privacy Policy – it doesn’t reveal personal identities, just helps match anonymous addresses. The net effect is better attribution fidelity: as long as it’s truly the same person behind two addresses, your contribution is recognized. 

3.5 Conversion Verification and Transparency 

For every conversion attributed to your site, Specify provides transparent proof of that conversion. In your publisher dashboard or reports, you will see details such as the blockchain transaction hash or ID of the on-chain action that was counted. This allows you (and the advertiser) to independently verify that each billed conversion corresponds to a real blockchain transaction involving the advertiser’s contract. We believe this transparency is crucial: you’re earning revenue for genuine outcomes, and you can verify them on-chain anytime. 

Each conversion entry will typically include: the timestamp, the associated campaign/advertiser, the wallet address (or an anonymized user ID) that did the action, and the transaction hash. You can plug that hash into a blockchain explorer to see the transaction details publicly. Because the conversions are on-chain, there’s no hiding or faking them – you and the advertiser have the same ground truth. We encourage you to review these conversion proofs periodically, not only for trust but also to glean insights (e.g., you might notice certain times or patterns when users from your site tend to convert). 

3.6 Disputed or Invalid Conversions 

While our systems aim to attribute conversions accurately, there may be cases where a conversion’s validity is called into question – either by an advertiser dispute or by our fraud detection. Here’s how we handle such situations: 

• Advertiser Disputes: Advertisers have the ability (within a defined process) to dispute conversions they believe were incorrectly attributed or not genuine (see Advertising Policy Section 3.5). For example, an advertiser might claim that a conversion attributed to your site was actually from an existing user, or that the user didn’t actually come from an ad. When a dispute is raised, Specify will review the conversion in good faith. We examine evidence like timestamps, whether the ad was indeed served/clicked, if our wallet-linking was accurate, etc. We might also reach out to you if needed for information (though usually our internal data suffices). During this review, the conversion and its revenue might be put on hold (not paid out yet). 

• Invalid/Fraudulent Conversions: Separately, our automated systems continuously monitor conversions for patterns that indicate fraud or invalidity. If a conversion is flagged (for instance, if multiple conversions originate from the same device in a short span, or if on-chain analysis suggests the converter was incentivized improperly), we may mark it as invalid. Invalid conversions do not earn revenue. Common reasons for invalidation include: the user was found to be an existing active user (so it shouldn’t count), the conversion happened outside the attribution window, or there’s evidence the conversion was artificially generated (fraud). 

Outcome of Reviews: If a disputed conversion is found to be valid, it will stand and you’ll be paid for it. If it’s found invalid, we will remove it from your earnings (or not count it to begin with). Our decision on conversion validity is final, though we strive to be objective and fair. We understand that as a publisher you want every legitimate conversion counted; we also have to ensure advertisers only pay (and you only earn) for genuine conversions. 

If you notice something on your side – for example, you suspect a conversion that didn’t count actually should have – you can always contact us to inquire. We’ll explain or review as appropriate. However, note that because of the conversion definition and attribution rules, not every transaction following an ad view is billable (see 3.1). We avoid disputes by clearly defining conversions up front, but when they do occur we handle them diligently. Any adjustments from disputes (deductions or credits) will be reflected in your reporting and payout calculations (see Section 10 on Payment). 

4. Ad Integration and Publisher Controls 

This section covers how you implement Specify ads on your properties and what controls or options you have in managing ad placements. We provide flexibility so you can optimize your integration, but also have certain rules to ensure consistency and performance. 

4.1 Ad Placement and Content Controls 

As a publisher, you have the freedom to choose where and how ads appear on your site/app, within the bounds of our guidelines: 

• Integration Options: We offer various ad formats (e.g., banner sizes, native ads, video units) that you can integrate. You should place these ad units in locations that make sense for user experience and visibility – typically areas that users pay attention to but without disrupting your content flow excessively. Common placements are header or footer banners, sidebars, in-content native ads, etc. You know your site best, so you can experiment with what placements yield the best engagement. However, avoid placing ads in areas where they might be accidental clicked (see Section 6 for technical do’s and don’ts). 

• Multiple Ads and Layout: You can run multiple Specify ad units on your site. There’s no strict limit from us on number of ads per page, but remember our quality expectations (Section 8) – if you overload pages with ads to the point of annoyance, it may hurt conversions and we may advise changes. A good rule of thumb is to not exceed content with ads; maintain a good content-to-ad ratio. Also, ensure there’s adequate spacing so each ad is distinguishable. 

• Category & Advertiser Filters: We understand that some publishers may not want certain types of ads on their site (for brand alignment or audience appropriateness). Specify’s platform allows you to set keyword filters to a reasonable extent. For example, if your site is a family-friendly forum, you might choose to block ads related to alcohol or other adult content. Similarly, you can request to block specific advertisers if needed (say you have a competing product, you might not want their ads on your site). These controls might be available in your dashboard or by contacting our support to apply restrictions. We strive to honor such preferences, though note that overly restrictive filters might limit the ads (and revenue) you get. If a certain category is disallowed on your site by law or policy, you must notify us or use the filter to block it (e.g., if you run a kids-focused app, you must not show ads for 18+ content). 

• Ad Content Assurance: All ads served through Specify have passed our Advertising Policy standards (see Section 5 of that policy), which means we’ve disallowed the worst content (illegal, hate, malware, etc.) from ever being in ads. So you can be confident that by default, our ads won’t contain extremely objectionable material. However, “sensitive” categories (like gambling, crypto, etc.) might be allowed ads, so use the filters as noted if those aren’t suitable for your audience. We also label ads as “Sponsored” or “Ad” by default, but you should double-check that they appear properly on your site (and let us know if they don’t). You should never remove or hide these labels (it’s important for transparency – and often a legal requirement). 

• Compliance with Your Policies: If you have your own site terms or community guidelines, integrating ads should also comply with those. For instance, if your forum disallows external links in posts, ensure ad code is placed separately (like not pasted by users but by you in the site template). It’s also a good practice to have a privacy policy and maybe an “Advertising” section on your site explaining you use Specify’s platform, which is performance-based and uses no personal data (this helps users understand what the ads are and that you’re being responsible).

 In summary, you have control over where ads show and can opt out of certain ad categories if needed. Use these controls thoughtfully to balance user experience and revenue potential. We’re here to help with best practices (we can suggest placement based on what tends to work, for example). Remember that any custom arrangements or significant deviations (like using our ads in a non-web environment, or blending them in unusual ways) should be discussed with us to ensure it’s within policy. 

4.2 Pausing or Removing Ads 

You may pause or stop showing Specify ads on your site at any time at your discretion. There’s no long-term commitment – you control your involvement. Here’s how it works and what to expect: 

• Removing Ad Code: The simplest way to stop participating is to remove our ad code from your pages or disable the ad placements (for example, if you have an ad management system, you can turn off Specify ads). Once removed, new ads will no longer be served typically within moments (our servers stop sending ads when they no longer receive requests from your site). You don’t need our approval to do this – it’s your site. However, we’d appreciate a heads-up if you decide to leave the platform, just so we know it’s intentional and not a technical issue. 

• Immediate vs. Lingering Effects: While pausing or removal stops new ad impressions, it does not retroactively cancel ad engagements that already happened. Any user who was already shown an ad from your site prior to your pause can still go on to complete a conversion within the attribution window (Section 3.3). If that happens, it will still be counted and you will still earn for it, even if it’s after you’ve removed the ads. For example, you remove the ad code on July 1, but a user who saw an ad on June 29 converts on July 10 – that’s within the window, so you get credit. In other words, conversions “in the pipeline” cannot be undone by pausing your participation. This is similar to how advertisers remain responsible for conversions after stopping a campaign. 

• Monitoring After Pausing: We recommend you check back for a while after pausing to catch any final earnings. Our dashboard will continue to update with post-pause conversions that came through. We will include those in your payout as normal (typically in the next cycle). If you’ve fully left, we’ll still pay you out (see Section 4.4 and Section 10 about final payouts). 

• Resuming: If you pause and later want to resume showing ads, in most cases you can simply put the ad code back or re-enable our placements. As long as your account wasn’t terminated or suspended for policy reasons, you can pick up where you left off. If a lot of time has passed or you significantly changed your site, we might do a quick re-check to ensure compliance, but we generally welcome back publishers who remain in good standing. 

Keep in mind that if you frequently toggle ads on and off, it might take a short time for the fill and performance to ramp up each time (as our system optimizes delivery). Consistency tends to yield better results, but you’re free to manage your inventory as needed. There are no penalties in our platform for pausing; we want you to use Specify only as long as it’s beneficial for you. 

4.3 No Minimum Traffic or Exclusivity Requirements 

We impose no minimum traffic requirement and no exclusivity on publishers. Our platform is designed to accommodate a wide range of publishers – from small indie blogs to large web portals: 

• No Minimum Traffic: Whether your site has 100 monthly visitors or 100,000+, you are welcome to join Specify. We do not require a certain volume of impressions or conversions to stay in the program. (Of course, if traffic is extremely low, you might not see conversions often – but you’re still allowed to participate and earn whenever conversions do happen.) We believe even niche communities can deliver valuable conversions and we don’t want to shut out smaller sites. That said, if your site literally has near-zero users, it might effectively not get ads simply because our system optimizes toward active placements.  

• No Exclusivity: You are free to use Specify alongside other advertising or monetization solutions. We do not demand exclusivity. For instance, you can run Specify’s performance-based ads while also having Google AdSense, affiliate links, or any other revenue streams on your site. However, be mindful of other networks’ rules – some ad networks might not allow certain types of ads on the same page. It’s your responsibility to ensure there’s no conflict (and we recommend separating different types of ads to avoid clutter and user confusion). As far as we’re concerned, you can even show multiple networks’ ads simultaneously, though we encourage you to manage layout and volume of ads sensibly. 

• Flexible Campaigns: There’s no minimum time you must keep ads running. You could try us for a day, or run continuous campaigns – it’s up to you. Our system doesn’t require you to commit to a fixed duration. We do suggest giving any new monetization effort some time to gather results (conversions might not roll in instantly, and longer running allows our algorithm to optimize better), but again, it’s your choice. 

• Quality Note: While there’s no minimum traffic rule, maintaining quality traffic is important (see Section 8). If a site has extremely low engagement or mostly bot traffic, that becomes a quality issue rather than volume issue. We care about who your users are (real interested people) more than how many they are. So a small but engaged audience is great; a large but fake audience is not. 

4.4 Termination by Publisher  

If you decide to terminate your participation in Specify’s publisher program entirely, the process is straightforward: 

• Notice and Steps: First, remove all Specify ad code from your sites/apps to stop all ads. Then, send us a notice in writing (an email to our support or your account manager, for example) stating that you wish to terminate your publisher account. We may follow up for confirmation or feedback, but generally we will proceed to close out your account as requested. You do not need to give a reason, though we’d love to know if there’s something we could improve. 

• Final Earnings and Payments: Upon termination, you are still entitled to any outstanding earnings you’ve accrued. This includes earnings for any conversions that occur within the attribution window after your ads stopped, as long as those conversions stem from impressions that happened while your integration was active. In practice, we may wait until the attribution window finishes (the two weeks post your last ad impression) to tally a final balance, then we will issue your final payout in the next scheduled cycle (or per any arrangement we make). We won’t require you to stay beyond your desired termination date – we simply handle the remaining bookkeeping. You will remain responsible for checking for that final payment and providing any details needed (like if your bank info changed, let us know to ensure you get paid). 

• Account Closure: Terminating your publisher relationship means we will mark your publisher account as closed. If you have a broader Specify account (for example, you also ran campaigns as an advertiser under the same login), this will typically just disable the publisher features while leaving other aspects intact. If you intend to stop using Specify entirely (both as advertiser and publisher), please make that clear so we can coordinate a full account closure. Account termination is subject to any procedures in the Terms of Service as well. For instance, the Terms outline that certain provisions survive termination (like confidentiality, indemnification, etc. – see Terms for details). 

• Obligations and Violations: Note that terminating your account does not absolve you of liability for any prior breaches of this Policy or the Terms. If we later discover serious violations that occurred during your time as a publisher, we reserve the right to take appropriate action (legal, recuperative, or otherwise) even after termination. Similarly, if you owe any amounts to us (though that’s uncommon for publishers, it could happen in case of overpayment or fraud restitution), you’ll need to settle those. Usually, publishers won’t owe us – but one scenario could be if we paid you for conversions and later those were deemed fraudulent and advertiser was refunded, we might seek recovery (see Section 10).

• Welcome Back: Unless your account was terminated for cause (violation), you’re generally welcome to rejoin the platform in the future. If you simply took a break or tried something else, you can reach out to reactivate or create a new account. We might ask what’s changed and possibly do a fresh review of your site, but we value positive relationships and understand circumstances can change. 

5. Publisher Content Standards 

To maintain a high-quality network, we require that publisher sites and apps meet certain content standards. This ensures that advertisers feel safe placing their content on your property, and that users have a positive experience. Just as we restrict what ads can contain, we also restrict the types of content that can host our ads. This section outlines prohibited content (which outright disqualifies a site from our network) and sensitive or restricted content (which might be allowed with conditions or extra scrutiny). 

5.1 Prohibited Content on Publisher Sites 

Your site or app must not contain or promote any of the following content. If it does, it will be rejected from the platform, or removed if discovered later. These rules apply to all parts of your site – including user-generated content like comments or forum posts (you are expected to moderate obvious violations). Prohibited categories include, but are not limited to: 

• Illegal Products or Activities: Any content that is illegal, or that facilitates or advocates illegal activity. This includes sites dealing in illicit drugs, unlicensed pharmaceuticals, counterfeit goods, pirated media/software, hacking tools, instructions for illegal acts, or any form of criminal activity. If it’s against the law, we won’t monetize it. For example, a site providing torrents of copyrighted movies without permission is not allowed. 

• Harmful or Dangerous Content: Content that encourages harm, violence, or dangerous behavior. This covers sites promoting self-harm or suicide, eating disorders, reckless stunts, or violence against oneself or others. Also included: content that provides instructions on making weapons/explosives, or encourages riots or violent protests. We don’t want to fund harm – even if such content isn’t outright illegal, it’s against our values and those of most advertisers. 

• Hate Speech and Harassment: Any content that attacks, dehumanizes, or incites hatred against a group or individual based on attributes like race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or medical condition. We have zero tolerance for hate speech. Similarly, content that harasses or bullies an individual (especially protected classes) is forbidden.  

• Pornography or Explicit Sexual Content: Sites that contain hardcore pornography, or extremely explicit sexual acts, are not allowed. This includes depictions of sexual activities in graphic detail. We also disallow content that sexualizes minors (which is illegal and abhorrent) – that would be reported to authorities. Note: Sexual content that is more mainstream or educational (e.g., sexual health sites, relationship advice with mature discussions) may be permissible, but we’ll evaluate context and presentation under sensitive content (Section 5.2). When in doubt, ask us. As a rule, if your site would be rated strictly adult-only (18+ for explicit pornographic material), it’s not suitable for our advertisers. 

• Extreme Violence or Gore: Content featuring excessive gore, mutilation, or graphic violence, especially if it’s the central focus, is disallowed. For instance, a shock site that shows gruesome accident scenes or violent torture images is prohibited. Context matters: a news site covering war may have disturbing images, but it’s not glorifying them – those might be allowable with caution. But a site whose purpose is to shock or sicken with graphic content is out. 

• Misleading, Deceptive, or Fraudulent Content: We do not partner with sites built on deceit. This includes “fake news” sites that spread disinformation deliberately, scam sites that trick users (phishing pages, ponzi scheme promotions, etc.), or any site making fraudulent claims (like a miracle cure blog that’s actually just trying to sell snake oil). If your content includes factual assertions, they should be accurate or clearly opinion. Advertising or monetizing on a platform that propagates hoaxes or false information is harmful to users and advertisers alike, so it’s banned. 

• Malware or Malicious Code: Your site must not host or distribute malware, viruses, spyware, or engage in phishing. If your site triggers browser security warnings (like “This site may be hacked” or “malicious site ahead”), we cannot serve ads there. This extends to sneaky stuff like crypto-jacking scripts (using visitors’ CPUs to mine crypto without consent) – those are forbidden. If your site gets compromised by hackers and starts showing malicious code, you need to fix it ASAP; we will suspend ads until it’s resolved. You also cannot intentionally include exploits or do things like hijack browser sessions, steal cookies, etc. We conduct checks and if a site appears unsafe, it won’t be allowed in the network. 

• Intellectual Property Infringement: Sites that knowingly infringe on others’ IP rights are not allowed. For example, a website illegally streaming copyrighted sports or a blog copying another author’s content without permission would fall here. We respect creators’ rights; advertisers don’t want their ads on piracy or plagiarism sites. Ensure you have rights to the content you publish. If your site uses user-generated content, have measures to remove infringing material when notified. Trademark infringement (using someone’s brand/logo in a way that confuses users you’re affiliated) is also a problem. Don’t run a site impersonating another company or person. 

• Other Inappropriate Content: We reserve discretion to bar any content we find highly objectionable or risky, even if not explicitly listed above. This could include things like: 

  • Content that is extremely uncivil or shock for shock’s sake (e.g., excessively vulgar content with no redeeming context). 

  • Content that encourages hate or division in more coded ways (dog whistles, extreme political propaganda) not caught under “hate speech” but still contrary to our standards. 

  • Sites dedicated to highly controversial theories presented as truth (e.g., dangerous conspiracy theories, anti-science misinformation about health or public safety). 

  • Also, sites that might not be malicious but are simply not suitable: for instance, a site with almost no original content (just scraped content or auto-generated pages) – advertisers see those as low-quality, so we might reject such sites for “lack of substantive content/quality.” 

If your site contains any prohibited content, it will not be approved, or ads will be disabled if it’s found later. We may notify you depending on the case, but for egregious violations (illegal/hate), expect an immediate ban. If you manage multiple sites and one is found in violation, that puts your whole publisher account at risk. We prefer not to punish the innocent, but a pattern of issues indicates poor oversight. So please ensure all your properties adhere to these standards. 

5.2 Sensitive or Restricted Content 

Certain content categories aren’t outright banned, but they require special care or permission. These are areas where legal regulations or public sensitivities come into play. We allow monetization of such content only if you meet specific conditions and we approve it, often on a case-by-case basis. If your site falls in these areas, make sure to comply with all listed conditions (and any relevant laws). We may also restrict which ads run on these sites to appropriate ones. Key sensitive/restricted categories: 

• Financial Services and Crypto Content: If your site is about finance (stocks, trading tips, personal finance advice, etc.) or specifically about cryptocurrency/Blockchain (news, token projects, DeFi platforms), you must be very careful about accuracy and compliance. Avoid promises of guaranteed returns or anything that could mislead users financially. Clearly label any opinions vs. facts. If you promote specific investments or token sales, ensure you have any required licenses (some jurisdictions require being a registered advisor to give investment advice, for instance). Also, many countries regulate crypto promotions – be sure you’re compliant (e.g., showing necessary risk disclaimers like “Cryptocurrency is volatile, you can lose money”). Additionally, since our platform itself is blockchain-based, we hold crypto-related publishers to a high standard: if your project has had security audits or is well-known, that helps. We might ask for proof of legitimacy (like audit reports, team info) especially if you are a newer crypto site – because scams are common in this space and we won’t knowingly partner with one. 

• Gambling and Betting: Sites focused on gambling (online casinos, sports betting, poker, lotteries) are high-risk legally and ethically. We allow gambling content only in jurisdictions where it is legal and only if you implement proper age gating and disclaimers. For example, if you run a sports betting tips site, and online betting is legal in your users’ region, you must still warn that “18+ only” and “Please gamble responsibly” and possibly include links to gambling addiction help lines, per industry best practice. You should hold any required licenses (some regions require the site itself to be licensed or to only advertise licensed operators). Advertisers may also restrict showing on gambling sites, so even if we approve you, know that inventory might be limited to relevant ads (like betting-related campaigns). We’ll likely review such sites extra carefully and might restrict by geo (e.g., only serve ads in countries where gambling content is allowed). 

• Alcohol, Tobacco, and Regulated Substances: If your content involves alcohol (brewery news, wine reviews), tobacco/vaping, or similar regulated substances (recreational cannabis in places it’s legal, for instance), you must adhere to laws about advertising and audience. For alcohol: don’t target minors, include disclaimers like “Drink responsibly” if required, and ensure your site’s tone isn’t encouraging misuse. For tobacco: given health impacts, many ad networks don’t allow it at all; we likely will only allow such sites if content is responsible (e.g., a cigar aficionado blog with an adult readership) and if ads shown are compliant (likely no ads directly promoting cigarette sales due to advertising laws). We might require an age verification gate if the site is solely about such products. Essentially, if your site’s theme is legal but sensitive, we need to make sure any ads align (for instance, no general audience ads on a smoking-related site without warnings). 

• Healthcare and Medical Information: Sites that provide health or medical info (whether it’s a blog about managing diabetes, a forum about mental health, or an online store for supplements) carry the responsibility of accuracy and compassion. You must not present dubious health claims as fact. Any medical advice or product claims on your site should be backed by science or clearly stated as anecdotal opinion. If you allow user discussions (like a health forum), moderate misinformation that could harm someone. Also, many regions have rules on advertising medicines or medical services. If your site has content about prescription drugs, in some countries you can’t have direct-to-consumer pharma ads unless certain criteria are met. We may need to review what kind of ads would be suitable; for example, we might only run contextually relevant health ads or general ads (not specific drug ads) on such a site to avoid regulatory issues. If you have a webshop for supplements or health devices, ensure you follow e-commerce regulations and don’t sell banned substances.  

• Political or Highly Controversial Content: If your site is centered on political content, news commentary, or social issues, we will consider it, but be aware we’ll scrutinize for accuracy and extremism. If your political content veers into propaganda or unverified claims presented as facts, that’s problematic (could even fall under prohibited if it’s harmful enough). Strive for transparency (e.g., if you’re a partisan blog, that’s fine but don’t impersonate a neutral news outlet). There are also laws in some areas about political advertising – while that’s more on the advertiser side, if you directly host political ads or campaign fundraising, make sure you’re compliant with election laws. We may also enforce transparency (like requiring political ads to have “Paid for by X” disclaimers on your site, even if through our network, we would inject such disclaimers as needed). Some advertisers (especially big brands) shy away from polarizing political content; they may opt-out of such sites. We may still allow you in the network but know that your fill rate or advertiser pool could be limited due to brand safety choices. We evaluate these on a case-by-case basis. 

• User-Generated Content & Forums: If your site allows users to post content (comments, forum posts, social media-style content), it falls on you to moderate and enforce policies. A site that is fine on its main pages but whose user forum is filled with illegal or hateful content is not acceptable. We expect you to have moderation practices: e.g., removing hate speech, banning users who post illicit stuff, filtering spam, etc. We’re realistic that real-time moderation 100% is tough, but there should be a good faith effort and quick action on known issues. You might need to set up word filters or assign community moderators. During our review, if we see user sections, we’ll peek at what’s there. If it’s unmoderated chaos, we may reject or ask you to step up controls. Also, consider posting your own content guidelines for users – that can help enforce culture. Remember, everything on your site reflects on you as a publisher in our network. 

For any restricted content category, it’s best to be upfront with us during application. We might require additional documentation or steps: e.g., proof of gambling license, a copy of your editorial policy for medical content, etc. Even if we approve your site, we maintain the right to limit ad delivery (for instance, only certain advertisers or demand sources might run on it). We do this to protect all parties – you, the advertisers, and us – from legal or reputational fallout. If conditions are not met or if you violate the special requirements (say you promised to moderate but didn’t, and it became a dumpster fire of hate speech), we will take action (could remove the site or reclassify it as prohibited). 

Always keep in mind: All other parts of this Policy and the Terms of Service still apply to sensitive content sites. Being in a special category isn’t an excuse to ignore, say, the ban on malware or the requirement for legal compliance. If a restricted category overlaps with a prohibited one, the stricter rule wins (for example, a political forum still can’t allow hate speech). We aim to support a diverse range of content, including edgy or adult-oriented content, as long as it’s done responsibly and legally. Work with us by following these guidelines, and you can monetize such content appropriately. 

6. Ad Display and Technical Requirements 

For our partnership to succeed, ads served on your site need to function correctly and be presented appropriately. This section outlines the technical and behavioral requirements for integrating our ads. Adhering to these ensures a good experience for users, effective conversion tracking, and a fair environment for advertisers. Non-compliance can lead to ads not working properly or even policy violations. 

Key technical and placement guidelines: 

• Proper Integration of Code: Use our SDK integration exactly as instructed. We do not utilize traditional <script> ad tags; instead, publishers must call a function from our SDK with the user’s wallet address. This SDK call returns the ad content (including title, text, images, links, and call-to-action) relevant to that user, and it is then your responsibility to render this content on your site. Do not alter the provided SDK code snippet or attempt to reverse-engineer it. Any code or parameters we supply should be used in their entirety and without modification, as even small changes can break ad tracking or delivery. Also, avoid wrapping or styling our ad content in a way that might hide or distort it – for example, do not place it in an HTML container with dimensions that differ from the ad’s intended size. Always follow the format and size specifications we document for each ad type to ensure proper display and responsiveness. If you are unsure about any implementation details, we’re happy to assist – it’s crucial to integrate our SDK correctly for optimal results and accurate tracking 

• Visibility and User Experience: Ads should be placed where users can see them without trickery. For example, don’t put an ad in a 1x1 pixel or behind other content (that would count impressions that no one actually saw – it’s fraudulent and pointless since no conversions will come). Aim for placements that are viewable – e.g., at least half of the ad visible on screen for a second or two when the page loads. Avoid placing ads too far below content where few users scroll, unless it’s an endless scroll format. We may use viewability metrics to optimize delivery (and if an ad never gets seen, it’s unlikely to convert). Also, avoid excessive ads that cover your content (like full-page takeovers) unless that’s something you specifically arranged; our standard units are meant to complement content, not obscure it. 

• Separation from Clickable Elements: Do not place ads too close to navigation buttons, download links, or other UI elements in a way that might cause accidental clicks. For instance, an ad right next to a “Next Page” link might lead users to click the ad by mistake. Accidental clicks lead to poor conversion quality (those users likely won’t actually convert) and frustrate users. We require a reasonable padding or distinct separation so that ads appear as their own thing. Similarly, don’t place ads in interactive elements like within a game’s control area where a user might tap inadvertently. You want genuine interest clicks, not mis-clicks. 

• No Incentivized Clicking or Conversions: You must never ask or incentivize users to click on ads or perform the advertiser’s conversion action. Examples of violations: offering rewards/points for clicking ads or signing up via ads, encouraging users with statements like “Click the ad to support our site” or “Complete this offer to unlock content”. The user’s decision to engage with an ad must be 100% voluntary and based on interest. Any scheme to drive up clicks/conversions artificially will be treated as fraud. This includes so-called “PTC” (paid-to-click) or “paid-to-convert” arrangements – those are not allowed on our platform. If you run a rewards-based site (like users do tasks for money), you cannot include our ads as one of the tasks. 

• Ad Labeling and Distinction: Ensure that ads are clearly labeled as advertisements. Our ad code typically injects a small label (e.g., “Ad”, “Sponsored”) on the creative. Verify that this label is visible; some site CSS might accidentally hide it, which you should avoid. If for some reason an ad format doesn’t include a label, you are responsible for adding one (for instance, native ads might require you to include a “Sponsored” header as per our instructions). Under no circumstance should you present ads in a way that they could be mistaken for your own content or navigation. Don’t call ads something like “Featured posts” unless “Sponsored” is also obvious. Blurring the line is bad for user trust and could be legally problematic (many jurisdictions require clear ad disclosures). 

• No Alteration of Ad Content: You are not allowed to edit, obscure, or modify the content of the ads delivered by Specify. This means you cannot, for example, apply your own CSS to change an ad’s text, or cover an ad with another image, or only show part of an ad. Serve it as is. Also, do not try to dynamically refresh ads faster than our code allows. Some publishers attempt to reload ad slots every few seconds to increase impressions – that’s not permitted here (and since impressions alone don’t pay, it’s moot, but it can annoy users and degrade performance). If we detect a high auto-refresh rate, we will intervene. Typically, we control refresh timing if applicable for certain formats via our script – don’t add another layer on top of that. 

• No Automatic Redirects or Pop-ups: Our ads should load within their designated container; they should not trigger full-page redirects or pop-ups on their own. Likewise, you should not script them to do so. When a user clicks an ad, it will usually open the advertiser’s site in a new tab or window. Do not change this behavior to open in the same window (which would navigate them away from your site unexpectedly) or to intercept the click for something else. Also, do not have code that automatically opens an ad or advertiser site without user click (so-called pop-under or auto-redirect on page load) – that is strictly forbidden. We expect ads to be user-initiated experiences. Any tactic that forces an ad or landing page on a user without their clear action is a violation. 

• Preventing Interference: Ensure no other scripts on your site interfere with our ad code. Some third-party plugins or aggressive optimizers might attempt to alter HTML elements, including ads. For instance, some script might try to lazy-load or defer content in a way that breaks ad loading – test after integrating to see that ads appear correctly. If you use content filters (like an adult content blocker or something), whitelist our ad domains to not accidentally remove the ads. Additionally, if you run other ads or media that could conflict (like two video players competing for autoplay), check that everything coexists. Our ads are typically sandboxed in iframes to avoid conflicts, but issues can still arise if, say, your site forcibly modifies all iframe CSS. If we detect technical issues (like our ad tag throwing errors due to interference), we may alert you. Repeated interference that skews ad delivery or tracking might result in temporary suspension until fixed. 

• Site Performance Considerations: While serving ads inevitably makes network requests and uses some resources, we design our tags to be performant. However, you also play a role: avoid placing ads in a way that drastically slows down your page. For example, loading too many heavy ad units at once above the fold could impact your page load speed. Also, if you have a single-page application (SPA) or dynamically loading content (AJAX), follow our instructions for how to request new ads when the view changes (we may have an API or specific method for that). Don’t hack it by copying code; ask us for the proper integration method for SPA if needed. Keeping your site fast and responsive is good for user experience and likely helps with conversions (users are more likely to engage if the site isn’t laggy). 

• Updates and Maintenance: We may occasionally update our ad code or introduce new versions for better performance or compliance with new standards (e.g., a change for a browser update). It’s important that you keep your integration up to date. If we deprecate an old tag and ask you to replace it, do so within the timeframe given. Old code might stop working or could become non-compliant with policies (for example, an older code not showing the “Ad” label properly after a regulation change). We’ll communicate clearly about required changes. Additionally, if you become aware of any technical issues (like ads not displaying, or a particular browser showing blank ads), inform us – it could be an incompatibility we need to address. Collaboration on tech matters helps maximize your revenue and avoid any inadvertent violations. 

7. Publisher Approval and Quality Assurance 

Joining the Specify network as a publisher isn’t automatic – we have an approval process to vet new publishers and their properties. This process is similar in spirit to our ad review (for advertisers) but focuses on your site/app. We want to ensure that each publisher meets our standards (as outlined in Section 5 and 6) before allowing ads to serve. Additionally, we maintain ongoing quality checks even after approval to uphold the network’s integrity. Here’s what to expect: 

• Application and Submission: You will typically need to submit your site(s) or app for review, providing information like the URL, description of content, audience, etc. You might do this via our platform interface or by contacting a rep. We might ask some questions up front (e.g., “What is your monthly traffic? How do users find your site?”) to gather context. Providing detailed and honest info can speed up approval. 

• Automated Scanning: Once we have your site details, our system may perform some automated scans. This could include fetching pages from your site to scan for prohibited content keywords, checking if your domain is flagged for malware or phishing, and analyzing traffic patterns if available (for example, we might use third-party data to see if an unusual amount of traffic comes from bots or if the site is associated with past fraud). These automated checks help us quickly red-flag any obvious no-go scenarios. If a site triggers a major red flag (say it’s on Google’s Safe Browsing blacklist), we might pause the process and inform you to clean that up first. 

• Manual Site Review: Our policy team (real humans) will visit your site and review it. They will navigate around, gauge the quality and nature of content, and cross-check against the Content Standards (Section 5). They’ll also evaluate layout and user experience: Is the site well-designed or is it covered in spammy links? Does it load reasonably well? Would a typical advertiser be comfortable being seen on this site? We don’t require your site to be fancy, but it should appear legitimate, functional, and have meaningful content. If your site is under construction or mostly empty, we’ll likely ask you to wait until it’s more established. If your site requires a login or is not accessible publicly (like an internal app or a closed community), you might need to provide us a demo login to review it. All of this manual review is to ensure compliance and suitability. 

• Publisher Identity and Ownership Verification: We need to ensure that you have the right to monetize the site/app you submitted. Thus, we may ask you to verify ownership. Common methods include: adding a provided verification code or file to your website (similar to how search engines verify site owners), or updating a DNS record. This proves you control the domain. If you submitted an app, we might verify via the app store listing or require an official email from the app’s domain. In some cases, especially for high-earning accounts or companies, we might also verify your business identity (requesting documents or performing KYC checks). This is to prevent impersonation or fraudulent representations (e.g., someone trying to monetize a site they don’t actually own). 

• Quality and Security Checks: If your site has any special aspects – like heavy user-generated content, or it’s a web3 application requiring wallet connections – we do additional checks. For forums or social platforms, we might look at how you moderate content (as discussed). For web3 dApps, we might do a basic security review: checking if users have reported it as a scam, seeing if your smart contract has known vulnerabilities, etc. We aren’t auditing your code fully (that’s your responsibility), but we need to be sure we’re not partnering with a site that could actively harm users. If concerns arise, we’ll ask you about them. For example, “We noticed your crypto exchange isn’t licensed – can you clarify how you operate legally in your users’ jurisdictions?” Depending on the answer, we may proceed or hold off. 

• Ad Test Integration: Sometimes we might ask you to implement a test ad tag on a sample page (or in your app in test mode) before full approval. This serves two purposes: (1) to verify that the ads technically work on your site (no weird conflicts or errors), and (2) to let us see how/where you intend to place them. For example, if you place a test banner and we see it’s tucked in a corner or overlapping with content, we can guide you to adjust. This step might not be necessary for simple cases, but for more complex integrations (like mobile apps or unusual site setups), it helps ensure a smooth go-live. 

• Approval Decision: After the above steps, we make a decision. 

  • If approved, your site can begin serving ads. We’ll confirm with you, and you should then add the live ad code to start monetizing. We might provide some recommendations at approval (e.g., “approved, but please avoid placing the ad near your navigation menu to prevent misclicks”). If you had multiple sites in your application, we might approve some and not others depending on their compliance. 

  • If rejected, we will typically provide a reason or a short explanation. Common reasons include: content violations (“Your site contains pirated streaming content, which is against policy”), insufficient content (“Your website is mostly placeholder text or has very little content for us to contextualize or value – please build it out and reapply”), traffic concerns (“We detected primarily bot traffic in our analysis”), or technical issues (“Your site triggered malware warnings”). Not all reasons are fixable, but many are. If you can address the issues, you’re usually allowed to reapply. If the rejection reason is permanent (e.g., “Site is on a blocklist for fraudulent activity and we cannot accept it”), we’ll tell you if that means no reconsideration. We try to be fair and give chances especially if you demonstrate improvements. 

• Conditional or Limited Approval: In some cases, we might approve a publisher with certain conditions or limitations. For example, we might allow a site but only serve a certain category of ads until trust is built (e.g., a new crypto forum might only get non-financial ads at first until we verify quality conversions). Or we might say “Approved, but you must actively moderate and remove [specific type of content] and we’ll review again in 3 months.” We will communicate any such conditions clearly. It’s then your responsibility to adhere to them. Failing to follow through on conditions could lead to suspension later. 

• Continuous Monitoring: Getting approved is not the end of compliance checks. We continuously and proactively monitor sites in our network. This includes automated scans (similar to the initial ones) running periodically, manual spot-checks by our team, and of course analysis of your performance and traffic. If your site’s content significantly changes (say you shift from tech news to adult content), or if users/advertisers report issues (maybe an advertiser says “I saw my ad on a site that had hate speech in comments”), we will re-evaluate. We also watch conversion data – if we see red flags in how conversions are coming from your site (very abnormal patterns), we may investigate under enforcement (Section 12). The ongoing monitoring ensures that quality is maintained and that new issues are caught early. Think of approval as a “license” to participate; it can be revoked if conditions aren’t maintained. 

• Not an Endorsement: It’s important to clarify that our approval of your site means it met our criteria for the ad network, but it’s not an endorsement or certification of your site overall. You are still fully responsible for your site’s content and legality. Advertisers or users might have opinions about your site that differ from ours – our approval simply means “We, Specify, find this site acceptable to show our ads on, given our policies.” You shouldn’t state or imply that Specify or our parent company endorses or has verified all your content. This is also noted in our Terms as a general principle.  

The publisher approval process is meant to be thorough but fair. We know that as a publisher, you want to get up and running quickly, so we aim to complete initial reviews in a timely manner (often within a few business days). Delays can happen if we have a high volume of applications or if your site raises questions that need back-and-forth. You can expedite by providing clear info and ensuring your site complies before applying. In all cases, we appreciate your patience and cooperation during review. Our intent is to foster a network of quality publishers, which in turn attracts more advertisers and revenue for you – so these checks benefit everyone in the long run. 

8. Traffic Quality and Performance Expectations 

Specify’s model (only paying for conversions) naturally aligns our interests with conversion performance. If your site generates conversions, both you and we earn revenue; if it doesn’t, neither of us do. Thus, while we welcome a wide variety of publishers (Section 4.3), we also expect a baseline of traffic quality such that conversions are realistically achievable. We may intervene or optimize our network based on performance data to ensure efficiency. Here’s how we approach traffic quality and what that means for you: 

• Genuine Human Traffic: We expect the visitors on your site to be real people with genuine interest in your content and, potentially, in the advertised products. If your traffic is largely non-human (bots, crawlers) or forced (users are being redirected to your site without wanting to be there), the likelihood of conversions is extremely low. We actively analyze signals like conversion rate, click patterns, user agent diversity, geo-location consistency, etc., to gauge if traffic seems legitimate. If we detect predominantly fake or low-quality traffic, we will treat it seriously (likely as a policy violation – see Section 9 and 12 regarding fraud). But even before enforcement, our system might automatically downrank or stop sending ads to such traffic because it’s not fruitful. Bottom line: focus on attracting real users, not just inflating page views. 

• Reasonable Conversion Potential: Some sites or placements might be technically allowed but practically very unlikely to yield conversions. For example, if you put ads on a placeholder site that has almost no content and users only land by mistake, those impressions are wasted. Or if your ad is placed in a way that gets tons of accidental clicks from users who immediately bounce, you might see click volume but no conversions. Our platform monitors the funnel: impressions -> clicks -> conversions. If a publisher’s traffic shows a pattern like high impressions, moderate clicks, zero conversions over a significant period, it indicates an issue. It could be poor placement (users click accidentally or out of curiosity but have no intent), or mismatched audience, or invalid traffic. In such cases, we might reach out to you to troubleshoot (“Here’s what we’re seeing, perhaps try moving the ad or adjusting content”). If the pattern persists, our system might allocate fewer ads to those placements (preferring ones with better performance). In extreme cases, if it’s wasting advertiser budget with no results, we might temporarily suspend the placement or site until addressed. 

• No Guarantee of Ads: Being an approved publisher means you’re eligible to receive ads, but the volume and type of ads you get depend on advertiser demand and our system’s optimization. If your site never or rarely produces conversions, over time the system’s algorithms may deprioritize it – meaning you’ll see fewer ads served. This is not punitive; it’s automatic optimization to spend impressions where they yield results. You might notice fill rate dropping if performance is poor. Conversely, if your site has great conversion rates, you may see more ads as advertisers compete to get that traffic. We want to be transparent: we do not guarantee a steady stream of ads or a minimum revenue. It all hinges on performance. This is different from some traditional ad deals (like flat-fee sponsorships or CPM-based networks) – with CPTx, everything is dynamic and merit-based. 

• Removing Persistently Poor Performers: In some cases, if a publisher’s traffic quality is consistently very poor and does not improve, we may decide to off-board that publisher for the health of the network. This would typically happen if we suspect the traffic isn’t just unlucky but fundamentally problematic (like mostly bots or extremely low-intent clicks). We would normally notify you if we’re heading toward that decision, giving a chance to fix whatever might be fixable. But if nothing changes, we reserve the right to end the partnership. This is a last resort aimed at keeping the network efficient for advertisers (who, remember, only pay for conversions – but they do care where their ads appear, and they don’t want to appear on sites that never yield results as it still occupies their campaign budget/time). 

• No Penalty for Genuine Effort: If you have quality content and real users but just aren’t getting conversions yet, we’re not going to ban you simply for low performance. We understand new publishers might take time to find the right ad-audience fit. The above measures are mostly for extreme cases or where quality issues are evident. We will differentiate between “honest low performance” (which might just need tweaking or time) and “inherent low quality” (which is often related to policy issues or poor traffic sources). If you’re in the former camp, we’ll work with you, not against you. 

9. Publisher Responsibilities and Warranties 

As a publisher on Specify, you take on certain legal and ethical responsibilities. You also make several promises (warranties) to us about your rights and the nature of your site and traffic. These mirror many of the commitments we ask of advertisers (since both roles share the goal of a trustworthy ecosystem). By using the platform as a publisher, you represent, warrant, and agree to the following: 

• Legal Compliance: You will comply with all applicable laws and regulations in the jurisdictions where your content is hosted or accessible, and where you operate your business. This includes (but isn’t limited to) laws related to data privacy, online content, intellectual property, consumer protection, advertising, and any specific industry regulations that apply to your content. For example: if your site targets EU users, you’ll comply with GDPR (e.g., have a privacy notice, honor cookie consent requirements if any apply); if you publish financial advice in the USA, you’ll comply with SEC guidelines or FTC rules on endorsements. You understand that Specify does not provide legal advice or pre-approve your content for legal compliance – that burden is on you. Our approval is policy-based, not a legal blessing. If certain ads on your site require you to take additional legal steps (like disclosing sponsored content per FTC rules), you’ll do so. Essentially, nothing about using our platform should cause you to break the law, and if a conflict arises (some law would be broken by serving our ads), you must refrain from that activity. 

• Content Rights and Non-Infringement: You affirm that you have all necessary rights to the content on your site/app, and that by displaying ads there you aren’t violating anyone else’s rights. In practice, this means: you either created the content yourself, or you have permission (a license or user agreement) to use it. Any images, text, videos, or other media on your site are either your own, public domain, licensed, or user-generated content that you have the right to host and monetize. You also confirm that your site’s name/domain doesn’t infringe a trademark (for instance, don’t use a domain like “Facebook-videos.example” if you’re not Facebook). If you embed third-party content (like YouTube videos, social media feeds), ensure it’s done legally (via official embed code or API, etc.). You agree that hosting ads on your site won’t trigger any third-party claims that we or advertisers are now complicit in infringement. If we (or advertisers) do get a legal claim because of content on your site (say a music label claims your site pirated a song where their ad appeared), you will handle it and indemnify us (see Terms of Service’s indemnification clause).  

• Authority and Capacity: If you’re signing up as an individual, you assure that you are at least the age of majority in your jurisdiction (typically 18 or older) and fully legally capable of entering this agreement. If you’re representing an organization (company, partnership, etc.), you warrant that you have the authority to bind that organization to this Policy and the Terms. For example, if you’re a web admin at a company running the site, make sure you’re authorized by your company to do so. We might require proof of authority in some cases (like a corporate email domain, or a signed form). If you delegate tasks to others (e.g., an agency managing your ad setups), the responsibility still ultimately lies with you as the account owner. 

• Accuracy of Information: All information you provide to Specify is truthful, accurate, and up-to-date. This covers the info in your account profile (such as your contact details, payment information, business name, tax ID if applicable) as well as any information during site submission and conversations (like describing your traffic honestly). If something changes – e.g., you rebrand your site, change your URL, your business address changes, or your site’s nature shifts – you will update your account or inform us promptly. Misrepresenting information is a serious violation.  

• Quality and Legitimacy of Traffic: You represent that your website/app’s traffic is genuine and obtained through legitimate means. This means you are not using bots, automated scripts, traffic farming services, or other artificial means to inflate visits or interactions. If you do any traffic acquisition (like buying ads to get users, or SEO, or social media promotion), you will ensure those methods are in line with applicable guidelines (for example, not sending spam emails with your site link, not using misleading pop-ups to drive people in). We want to see real engaged users, not tricked or fake ones. If we detect unusual traffic patterns (like extremely high bounce rates or very short times on site across the board, which might indicate forced redirections), we will investigate. You also agree not to generate conversions on your site through deceptive means. If your site uses incentives for user actions (like “complete tasks to earn points”), you must disclose that to us and ensure it doesn’t include our ads (as previously stated).  

• No Fraudulent Conversions or Clicks: You will not attempt to artificially generate conversions or clicks on ads served on your site. This is crucial. Some examples of prohibited conduct: clicking on ads on your own site (even just to “test” – please use test mode or ask us if you need to verify functionality; otherwise it could be seen as click inflation), encouraging or arranging for others to click your ads without genuine interest (e.g., in a forum telling friends “go click my site’s ads”), using automated tools or scripts to simulate user clicks or blockchain transactions, or creating fake user accounts/wallets to perform the advertiser’s conversion action. Also, you won’t hide or mask the source of conversions to mislead attribution (like using a proxy to make it seem conversions came from a real user). We have systems to detect many forms of fraud – don’t test them. If something accidentally happens (say you or a colleague clicked an ad once), let us know proactively rather than trying to cover it up. If we find evidence of deliberate fraud, the consequences are severe (forfeiture of earnings, suspension, etc., as described in Section 12). You are effectively guaranteeing that any conversion credited to your site is from a bona fide user who saw value in the ad and chose to act, not from manipulation. 

• Respect for Platform and Ad Integrity: You will not engage in any activity that interferes with or circumvents the intended operation of Specify’s platform. We touched on some of this in Section 6 (technical manipulation) and Section 8 (system optimization), but this is a broad promise. Examples include: 

  • Ad Code Tampering: You won’t modify campaign data such as text, images or links. 

  • Serving Ads on Unapproved Sites: You only place our ad code on sites/apps that you have registered with us and that have been approved. You won’t secretly put them on other sites to monetize them without disclosure. Each site needs review; you can’t “expand” to new domains using the same code without permission. 

  • Data Scraping or Misuse: You won’t scrape data from our ads or system beyond what’s intended. For instance, you should not attempt to log all ads shown and analyze them to approach advertisers directly or to reverse-engineer our targeting. (Apart from policy, that may violate confidentiality or terms.) 

  • API Abuse: If you use any provided API or feed, you’ll stick to the usage limits and terms for that API (we might have separate API terms if applicable). No hammering our servers or using the API in a way not intended (like to build a competitive service). 

  • Avoiding Enforcement: You will not try to circumvent any enforcement actions or limits placed on you. For example, if one of your sites was suspended, you shouldn’t create a new account or use someone else’s account to continue serving ads on it. If we restricted your account after finding fraud, don’t think changing domain or whois info will fool us – be upfront in resolving issues instead. We also caution against manipulating attributions – e.g., trying to funnel traffic through some other publisher to hide its origin (it likely won’t work and just complicates trust). 

  • Security: You’ll keep your account secure (use strong passwords, 2FA if available, etc.) and won’t share access with unauthorized people. If you have developers or others integrating code, oversee them. If you suspect any breach or misuse of your account, inform us immediately so we can help safeguard things. 

• Cooperation and Transparency: You agree to cooperate with us in any compliance checks, investigations, or requests for information. This means if we reach out for clarification about your traffic or a specific conversion, you’ll respond promptly and truthfully. For instance, we might ask “How did user X get to your site before converting? We saw 10 conversions from one IP.” In your answer, we expect honesty (“We ran a contest that might have caused some unusual activity” or “We have no idea, can you give more details?” etc.). If we request logs or evidence on your side, you’ll make a good-faith effort to provide them. If we need you to implement some verification (like confirming a user’s sign-up source), you’ll try to assist. This cooperation helps resolve issues quickly and builds trust. Additionally, if you become aware of any potential breaches of this Policy or the Terms (like you realize a user in your community is trying to game conversions), you should inform us. Being proactive can mitigate problems. You’re essentially our eyes on the ground for your site’s user behavior. Finally, if you utilize third parties (consultants, agencies) in managing your site or traffic, ensure they also understand these rules. You are accountable for their actions as if they were your own in this context. 

By making these representations and warranties, you’re confirming that you intend to be a responsible participant in our network. These aren’t just formalities – any breach could harm users, advertisers, or us, and will be taken seriously. We value publishers who act with integrity and professionalism. Also note (as per our Terms of Service) that you agree to indemnify and hold Specify harmless from any losses or legal claims arising from your site, content, or actions. This ties back to responsibilities: if your breach of these promises causes a lawsuit or damage, you’ll bear the cost.  

10. Payment and Payout 

This section covers how you, as a publisher, get paid for conversions generated on your site. It aligns with our performance model and outlines invoicing (if any), timing, methods, and related financial terms. We aim to be transparent with earnings calculations and ensure timely, smooth payouts. Please read this carefully so you know what to expect when it comes to revenue. 

• Earnings Calculation: Your earnings are calculated based on a hybrid model combining both base payouts for impressions and performance-based payouts for valid on-chain conversions. You will receive a base rate of $10 per 1,000 ad impressions (CPM) served on your site, regardless of whether those impressions result in conversions. Beyond this, each valid conversion attributed to your site earns a performance-based payout, typically corresponding to the advertiser’s CPTx bid minus our platform fee or commission. The exact payout rate or revenue share may vary; if we’ve provided specific terms (e.g., per-conversion rate or eCPM) or if such rates appear on the platform, those will apply. We provide transparent reporting, showing both your impressions and conversions, often broken down by day, campaign, and other dimensions. While metrics for impressions and clicks are available, the majority of your earnings will stem from verified conversions, which are fully trackable via on-chain events.. No earnings are given for impressions or clicks themselves – only the conversions matter, as emphasized. So you might see metrics for impressions/clicks in the dashboard, but the revenue will directly tie to conversions count. 

• Dashboard and Reports: Our platform provides a dashboard where you can monitor your performance and estimated earnings in near real-time. However, note that finalized earnings for a period might adjust slightly from preliminary estimates due to conversion validation (e.g., removal of invalid conversions or inclusion of late conversions). We typically finalize a month’s earnings a few days after month-end to account for all data and disputes. The final numbers are what payouts are based on. You will have access to a report summarizing the conversions and revenue for that payout period. Keep these records for your bookkeeping. 

• Payout Schedule: Specify follows a regular payout cycle for publisher earnings. By default, we operate on a monthly payout schedule. This means we calculate your earnings for each calendar month (say January 1–31) and then issue payment by a certain time in the following month (commonly by the end of February for January earnings). We target Net 30 terms or better – often paying around 30 days after the month closes. In some cases, if volume is high or you’re a long-term trusted partner, we might offer quicker payouts or mid-month payouts, but the default is monthly to synchronize with advertiser billing. If a payout date falls on a weekend or holiday, it might process on the next business day. 

• Minimum Payout Threshold: We may impose a minimum payout threshold. This is a lower limit of earnings you need to accumulate before we send a payment. The reason is to avoid the administrative overhead of processing tiny payments (which can incur disproportionate fees). For example, if the threshold is $100 and you earned $75 in month 1, that would roll over to the next month; if in month 2 you earn $50 more, now total $125, we’d pay out the combined amount (assuming threshold now met). If you consistently remain below the threshold and decide to leave the program, contact us – we usually will still pay what you’re owed (we don’t intend to keep small balances unfairly), but depending on amount and jurisdiction, we might have alternative methods (or in some cases, Terms might allow forfeiting very small amounts after a long dormancy – but we prefer to pay if at all feasible). We’ll disclose what our current threshold is (it might vary by payment method or country). 

• Payment Methods: We offer several payment methods to receive your earnings. These may include traditional routes like bank wire transfer (ACH/SEPA for local payments, SWIFT for international), online payment services (e.g., PayPal or other processors, if applicable), and given our crypto focus, possibly cryptocurrency payments (likely stablecoins such as USDC, or direct chain transactions). Available methods will be listed in your account settings. You’ll need to provide the necessary details for your chosen method: e.g., bank account and routing number for wire, or wallet address and network for crypto. Ensure these details are accurate and belong to you. We are not responsible for payments sent to a wrong account if you provided incorrect info. For crypto payouts, double-check addresses carefully; blockchain transactions can’t be reversed. We may enforce certain methods for certain regions (for example, EU publishers might be paid via SEPA Euro transfers by default). If you require a special arrangement, discuss with us – we try to be flexible if volume warrants it. 

• Currency: By default, payouts will be made in USD (United States Dollars) or another major currency as specified. If we offer crypto payouts, it might be effectively USD-equivalent via stablecoin (like paying $1000 in USDC). For bank transfers, we might support paying in your local currency upon request, converting at prevailing exchange rates. Check what currency your earnings are tracked in on the dashboard. If conversion is needed (say we pay you in EUR but earnings are in USD), we’ll use a fair market exchange rate on or near the payout date, and we’ll let you know which rate source we use. We do not mark up exchange rates, but your receiving bank might charge currency conversion fees, which are out of our control. 

• Payment Fees: Specify generally covers the basic fees to send your payment (e.g., we’ll pay the wire transfer fee on our end, or the gas fee for a crypto transaction). However, any intermediate or receiving fees are typically your responsibility. For instance, some banks deduct an incoming wire fee; or if a crypto payout goes through an exchange, the exchange might take a deposit fee. These will effectively reduce what you receive and are not something we reimburse. If fees are significant, you might choose a different method or accumulate more funds to make it worthwhile. We’ll try to use cost-effective routes. For certain methods (like PayPal), a percentage fee might be taken by them – we usually would deduct that from your payout unless otherwise stated. We will be clear about any such specifics (e.g., “PayPal payouts incur X% fee”). 

• Taxes: All payments to you are gross of any taxes (unless we explicitly state otherwise due to specific withholding requirements). You are responsible for reporting and paying any taxes owed on your earnings in your country of tax residence. For example, if you’re a U.S. publisher, your Specify earnings are typically taxable income and you’d report them in your tax filings. We may ask you to fill out tax forms (such as a W-9 for U.S. persons, or W-8BEN for non-U.S. persons) to comply with tax laws. If you do not provide required tax documentation, we may be obligated to apply backup withholding (e.g., withhold 24% for U.S. IRS) or suspend payments until it’s provided. In Estonia (where Specify is based), we do not generally withhold VAT or income tax on publisher payments because you’re likely an independent entity – but if Estonian law or EU law requires a VAT application (e.g., if you’re an EU publisher without a VAT ID, etc.), we’ll handle that appropriately. We recommend consulting a tax advisor in your jurisdiction to understand your obligations.  

• Invoice Requirements: We might need a formal invoice from you for accounting. If that’s the case, we’ll notify you. For instance, if you’re a registered business in the EU, you might need to invoice us including your VAT ID (if any) and our VAT ID for zero-rating cross-border services. We’ll supply our company details if needed for invoicing.  

• Adjustments and Clawbacks: It’s important to note that the revenue you see is subject to adjustments for invalid activity or disputes (as mentioned in Section 3.6). If conversions are invalidated or reversed before payout, we simply won’t include them in the payout. If, however, a conversion is found invalid after you’ve been paid for it (which should be rare, as we try to finalize only good conversions), we reserve the right to claw back the overpaid amount from future earnings or request reimbursement. For example, if an advertiser successfully disputes a conversion after the fact and we refund them $50, and that conversion was in a payout you got, we may subtract $50 from your next payment. We will notify you of any such situation. Repeated issues of this nature will likely coincide with a review of your traffic quality. We try our best to catch invalid conversions early, so ideally clawbacks shouldn’t happen often. 

• Non-Payment by Advertisers: Our business model assumes that advertisers pay their bills which then fund publisher payouts. In the rare event an advertiser defaults or refuses to pay for conversions you delivered, we reserve the right to delay or withhold payments related to those conversions until the issue is resolved, especially if there’s a dispute involved. We value our publishers and will make every reasonable effort to pay you on time for delivered results. 

• Account Holds and Termination Impacts: If your account is under investigation or suspended (see Section 12), we may place a hold on payouts until things are resolved. This doesn’t mean you lose the earnings (unless ultimately a violation is confirmed that warrants forfeiture), but it means we might temporarily not send funds. For example, if we suspect fraud in mid-month, we might hold that month’s payout pending the outcome. We’ll inform you if that happens. If your account is ultimately terminated for a serious violation, as noted before, any unpaid earnings related to that violation may be forfeited. Conversely, if you terminate amicably or for other reasons, we will pay out all legitimate earnings as described in Section 4.4. After an account is fully closed and final payment sent, you won’t receive further payments, and the account will not accumulate new earnings.  

11. Data Usage and Privacy 

Specify is built with privacy in mind, leveraging blockchain data rather than extensive personal tracking. However, operating an ad network does involve data handling for both us and you. This section explains how data is used and shared in the context of the publisher side, and what privacy commitments we and you have. Key areas covered: end-user data collection (or lack thereof), compliance with privacy laws, ownership of content and data rights, and confidentiality. 

11.1 End-User Data Collection  

User Privacy by Design: One of Specify’s distinguishing features is that we do not collect personal identifying information about end users for ad targeting or conversion tracking. We rely on public blockchain data (like wallet addresses and transaction events) and contextual information. When a user visits your site and is served an ad, we might note (for example) that a wallet address associated with that user’s browser saw Ad X. If that wallet later does a transaction with an advertiser’s contract, we match that as a conversion. Throughout this process, we generally don’t know the user’s real identity, name, email, etc. We also do not drop cookies or create device fingerprints for cross-site tracking in the traditional sense. 

No Personal Data via Ads: Because of this approach, when you show Specify ads, you are not causing additional personal data to be harvested from your users beyond what normally occurs (like their IP address connecting to our ad server, which is transient and not used to build profiles). We don’t build behavioral profiles or follow users around with retargeting based on personal profiles – any targeting is done via on-chain behavior or context. For example, an advertiser might ask us to target users who have interacted with DeFi protocols (which we infer from blockchain), but that target criteria is a wallet pattern, not someone’s name or email. 

Implications for Publishers: Since our ads aren’t doing invasive tracking, you typically don’t need to obtain special user consent for our ads beyond what you already do for your site (depending on laws). For instance, some ad networks require publishers to put up extensive cookie consent banners (especially in EU) because they drop tracking cookies – in our case, if we’re truly not dropping cookies or personal trackers, the consent requirement might be lighter. However, laws differ; some jurisdictions treat an IP address or even showing an ad as data processing. Our stance is to minimize data processing and be privacy-friendly. If a user has “Do Not Track” enabled or opts out of personalized ads in a platform like ours, effectively nothing changes because we weren’t personalizing at the identity level anyway. We respect such signals by not doing any alternate fingerprinting. 

Transparency to Users: It’s a good practice (and in some places legally required) for you to disclose that you partner with third-party advertising services. In your privacy policy or site terms, you might include a line like: “We display advertisements provided by third-party partners. These ads may use public blockchain data and non-personal information for targeting and conversion tracking. No personal information (name, email, etc.) is collected through these ads.” This lets privacy-conscious users know what’s happening. 

11.2 Privacy Compliance 

Even with minimal data collection, we and you must comply with applicable privacy laws and regulations: 

• Our Compliance: We adhere to laws like the EU’s GDPR, California’s CCPA/CPRA, and similar frameworks to the extent they apply. Although we deal mostly in pseudonymous data, things like an Ethereum wallet address could be considered personal data in some contexts (since a determined person might link it to an identity). We take appropriate measures to protect any data we do hold. For instance, data is stored securely, and we limit access to it. We also respect user rights requests: if by some mechanism a user invoked their right to access or delete data that involves our platform, we would handle that (though practically, there’s usually no personal data to delete beyond an address in a log). Our Privacy Policy (separate document) covers in general how we handle data across the service, including for site visitors. It’s available on our website for reference. 

• Children’s Privacy: If your site is directed to children (e.g., under 13 in the US for COPPA, or under 16 in some other jurisdictions), you must notify us because special rules apply. We do not knowingly collect any personal data from children via ads, but still, showing certain ads to minors might be sensitive. If your site is child-directed, you are responsible for obtaining verifiable parental consent for any data collection as required by law and informing us so we can ensure only suitable, contextual ads (no targeting even by blockchain data, and certainly no inappropriate content) are served. Basically, don’t mix kids and any form of data-driven advertising without adhering to laws strictly. 

• Data Security: You should treat any data you access from Specify as sensitive. While you mostly see aggregated data, protect your login to our dashboard and any reports you download. If you export a CSV of conversions, keep it secure – it might contain wallet addresses or details that while not personal, should still be safeguarded as confidential business info. Both of us need to prevent unauthorized access to data. 

• Data Retention: We will retain the data regarding your performance for as long as necessary for business purposes (reporting, auditing, legal compliance). You will likely have access to recent data in the dashboard; older data might be archived. If you need older records, keep your own copies or request from us within a reasonable time. Under privacy principles, we don’t keep personal-like data longer than needed – but since we largely avoid that, our retention policy is more driven by business (e.g., transaction records for accounting, which we might keep for several years as required by law). If you stop being a publisher, we’ll still retain historical info of transactions and payouts as part of our records, but your users’ browsing data (what little there is) will fade out as logs rotate. 

11.3 Publisher Content and License to Specify 

You (the publisher) own and control your site/app and all its content. We don’t claim ownership over your intellectual property. However, by participating in our network, you need to grant us certain permissions (a license) to use aspects of your content and information for the purpose of providing and promoting the advertising service. Here’s what that entails: 

• License to Serve Ads on Your Property: You grant Specify a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to display and perform the advertising creatives (provided by advertisers) on your site or app. This might sound obvious, but it means we have your permission to render ad content on your pages. Without such a license, technically showing an advertiser’s content on your site could be an IP issue – so this clears it: we can use the space on your site as agreed to show ads, including any necessary reproduction of your site layout within an iframe for internal previews, etc. This license lasts as long as you’re in the program. 

• Use of Your Site’s Name and Logos: You allow us to use your site or company name, and logo/branding, to identify you as a participant in our network. For example, we may include your logo on a slide in our sales deck to show advertisers “Here are some publishers in our network,” or list your site’s name on our website’s partners page. We may also use it internally (e.g., in our interface, an advertiser might see “Site: [YourSite].com” as an available placement). This is mutually beneficial for credibility. However, if you have a specific reason we shouldn’t (maybe you prefer anonymity or you have strict brand guidelines), you can opt out by letting us know in writing. We’ll always respect that and remove references if requested. Our default assumption though is that we can mention you as part of our ecosystem. 

• Content for Ad Targeting and Analysis: You grant us the right to access, index, and analyze your site’s content and data for purposes of ad targeting, contextual matching, and performance analysis. This means our systems might crawl your site (similar to a search engine) to understand the context of pages and decide what ads are relevant. We might also track certain on-page events (like if a user interacted with an ad, or how far down a page they scrolled if relevant, etc.) as allowed. We won’t use this data outside of improving ad delivery and measuring results. We also might take snapshots or metadata of your pages to show advertisers examples of where their ads could appear (e.g., showing a screenshot of a typical page of your site with an ad placement highlighted). This is purely to facilitate business; we’re not going to publish your full content or anything, just excerpts or visuals as needed to illustrate inventory. 

• Modifications and Derivatives: We may make minor modifications to your content or combine it with ad content solely for technical reasons. For example, if we serve a “native ad”, it might take the style of your site (font, design) – so we might dynamically inject some of your CSS or replicate your content style in the ad creative. That’s a permitted derivative under this license. Another example: cropping a screenshot of your page to focus on the ad area for documentation. We’re not altering your actual site; these are copies or transformations of content as it flows through our system. 

• No Broader Rights: We do not have the right to sell your content, license it to others outside the context of advertising, or claim ownership. The license is strictly limited to operating and marketing the ad platform in connection with your inventory. You can continue to use your content however you want elsewhere, and you can grant other ad networks or partners similar permissions without conflict (non-exclusive means you can have multiple partners). If you cease using our service, we stop serving ads and will not actively use your brand/content going forward (though some historical references like an archived case study might remain unless you request removal). 

• Publisher Data and Privacy: We touched on publisher performance data in 11.2 and 11.4, but note that any data you provide to us (like info about your audience or any first-party data for better targeting) will be treated in accordance with our agreements. If you ever share user data with us (which generally you shouldn’t need to, given our model), we’d handle it under strict confidentiality and legal compliance. The license grant here is more about content and branding as described, rather than personal data. Personal data sharing, if any, would be governed by data protection agreements and laws, not by a blanket IP license. 

11.4 Performance Data and Confidentiality 

As you and we work together, both parties will have access to certain information that isn’t public knowledge. We consider the performance metrics of campaigns on your site to be part of our confidential business information (and similarly, details you share about your operations might be confidential). It’s important to handle this data appropriately: 

• Your Access to Data: We provide you with data on how ads are doing on your site – impressions served, clicks, conversion counts, revenue earned, etc. This data is intended for your internal use: to analyze and improve your performance, and to verify payouts. You may share it within your organization or with authorized partners (like if you have a consultant optimizing your ad layouts, you can show them the metrics). However, you should not publicly disclose specific performance metrics of our platform without permission. For example, posting on a forum “My conversion rate with Specify is X% and I earned $Y CPTx on campaign Z” might violate confidentiality, especially if it reveals advertiser-specific info or platform averages. Why? Because those numbers, when aggregated or identified with our name, constitute sensitive business info (competitors or others could misuse it). If you want to do a public case study or mention something in press, coordinate with us – we’re usually happy to highlight success stories, but we like to ensure messaging is accurate and mutually agreed. 

• Our Use of Data: We handle data across the network to improve our services. We might look at combined data to identify trends (like average conversion rate in category A vs B, or top-performing geographies) – that helps us advise publishers and advertisers. If we share any such insights publicly or with third parties, we do so in aggregate and anonymized form (e.g., “The average CPTx across all gaming sites on Specify last quarter was $5”). We won’t reveal your site-specific performance to other publishers or advertisers without anonymization or consent. Advertisers do see how their campaigns performed and on which publisher sites their conversions came from; that’s part of transparency (so an advertiser will know “I got 10 conversions from YourSite.com at an average cost of $X each”). By participating, you acknowledge this specific sharing is allowed – advertisers have a right to know where their conversions come from. But those advertisers are also bound by confidentiality in their Terms not to misuse that info beyond their internal campaign analysis. 

• Mutual Confidentiality: Beyond performance stats, any non-public information we exchange should be kept confidential by the receiving party. This might include: our business or product plans, technical implementations, non-public financial info (like if we discuss custom revenue share terms with you), and likewise any info you share about your strategies, traffic sources, etc. We both agree not to disclose or use each other’s confidential info except for the purpose of the partnership. Exceptions are standard: if the info is already public, or was known independently, or was legally obtained from someone else not under NDA, it’s not confidential; and if required by law or court order, one can disclose (with notice to the other if permitted, to allow protective measures). These principles likely echo what’s in our Terms (often there’s a confidentiality clause there). 

• Data Security and Sharing: If you need to share some performance data with a potential buyer of your business or a partner, you can likely do so under NDA, but be mindful that our platform’s specifics should not leak. For instance, it’s fine to say to a potential investor “We made $X in ad revenue last quarter” (that’s your revenue). But sharing our platform documentation or analysis of our algorithm would be off-limits. If in doubt, ask us. Similarly, we won’t share details about your site’s performance with other publishers. Sometimes we might give anonymized examples (“One of our publishers in the finance niche sees a 2% conversion rate”), but we wouldn’t name you without permission. 

• Publicity and Press: If either of us wants to make an announcement or press release mentioning the other, it should be mutually agreed. You can list us (e.g., “We partner with Specify”) publicly – that’s generally okay and vice versa (we list you as per 11.3). But any specifics beyond the fact of partnership usually need sign-off. We won’t, for instance, publish “YourSite’s revenue doubled using Specify” in a marketing blog without checking with you first. And you shouldn’t publish specifics like “We chose Specify over Google Ads because X” in a press story without looping us in. Coordinated PR can be great for both parties if done properly. 

• Duration: Confidentiality obligations typically survive even if you stop being a publisher. For a period (often a few years or indefinitely as per Terms) after termination, you should still keep non-public info private. The same applies to us regarding any of your confidential data. 

11.5 Use of Data for Marketing and Case Studies 

Unless you opt out, you grant Specify permission to reference your participation and results in our marketing efforts, as mentioned earlier. This is a specific call-out of something partly covered in 11.3 and 11.4, but worth detailing from a data perspective: 

• High-Level Metrics: We may share aggregate performance figures related to your success on our platform, but we won’t share sensitive specifics without approval. For example, we might say in a case study, “Publisher ABC achieved approximately a 15% increase in monthly revenue after switching to Specify, with conversion rates around 1-2%.” This gives prospective clients an idea of outcomes without divulging your exact earnings or any proprietary info. We consider such figures acceptable as long as they’re not easily back-solvable to exact numbers that you consider private. We also typically won’t reveal your name with exact financial figures (“They earned $5,234.10 last month”) – that level of detail is not for public consumption unless you’re on board with it. 

• Approval for Detailed Stories: If we want to do a more detailed case study or testimonial involving you, we will reach out and collaborate. Often we might ask you for a quote or to co-author a success story. In those cases, we’ll mutually agree on what data and statements are included. Our marketing team is pretty flexible – if you say “please don’t mention our exact traffic numbers, but you can say ‘large audience’,” we’ll adjust accordingly. We want you to be comfortable with any publicity since it reflects on you too. 

• Use of Logos and Trademarks: We covered using your logo in general. In marketing materials, we’ll ensure it’s presented respectfully (usually among others, or alongside a quote from you). We won’t alter your logos beyond resizing them to fit a format. If you update your branding, let us know so we can use the latest version. 

• Right to Opt Out: You absolutely can opt out of being mentioned publicly. If at any time you prefer not to be included in our marketing references, just tell us (email or support ticket stating that preference). We will then refrain from using your name/logo in new materials and will try to remove or phase out existing references when feasible. (Bear in mind, once something is printed or published online, we can remove it from our sites but if it’s in third-party articles or cached, it might persist – but we’ll do our best to honor requests.) Opting out will not affect your standing as a publisher; it’s your choice. Some publishers in sensitive industries or with strict brand policies might choose to remain low-key – we respect that. 

• Mutual Benefit: Many publishers enjoy the exposure of being featured (it can drive more business or credibility to them as well). If you’re open to it, we may jointly benefit. However, we’ll never pressure you into it. And whether or not you participate in marketing has no bearing on your payouts or treatment in the network (no favoritism, it’s separate from operations). 

• Your Marketing: If you on your own want to announce or promote that you’re using Specify and how it’s going, we certainly don’t object – just remember confidentiality points. You can say general positive things like “Liking the performance-based ads from Specify” on social media. If you plan a press release or blog highlighting results, it’d be nice (and prudent) to loop us in, but as long as you don’t reveal our confidential platform info, you’re free to share your experience. 

12. Policy Enforcement and Termination 

To maintain a high-quality, fair network, we enforce the rules outlined in this Publisher Policy (and the Terms of Service). If a publisher violates these rules, Specify will take appropriate action. Enforcement can range from warnings and temporary measures to permanent removal from the platform, depending on severity. We aim to be transparent and proportional: minor issues usually get warnings; major breaches get decisive action. This section details how we handle violations and what consequences may follow. 

• Issue Detection: We catch policy issues through a combination of automated systems, manual reviews, and reports/complaints. Automated monitors might flag suspicious conversion patterns or content changes. Our team might spot something during routine checks. Advertisers might complain (“I don’t want my ads on that site – it has hateful content”), or users might report bad experiences. We treat all these signals seriously and investigate as needed. 

• Ad Serving Restrictions or Removal: If we identify a problem related to your site or placements, our first step might be to restrict ad serving immediately to prevent further harm while we assess. For example, if your site gets hacked and starts distributing malware, we will halt all ads on it ASAP (to protect users and advertisers) – likely without prior notice, given urgency. Or if we find a particular page on your site violating policy (say a new section with prohibited content), we might block ads on that section specifically. You might notice a drop in ads or receive a system alert when this happens. In many cases, we will follow up with communication explaining why. Removing ads is often reversible once issues are fixed, except in severe cases. Think of it as a quarantine: stop the bleeding first, then resolve. 

• Warning and Education: For less egregious or one-off violations, we’ll issue a warning and guidance. This could be an email or dashboard notification detailing what’s wrong and how to fix it. For instance, “We noticed you placed an ad unit too close to a navigation link, causing accidental clicks. Please adjust the layout within 5 days to avoid further action.” We consider that an opportunity for you to correct things. We might also temporarily disable the problematic unit until it’s fixed (to protect performance and compliance in the interim). Our tone with warnings is collaborative – we want you to succeed and just need you to tweak something. Most publishers respond positively to warnings and fix issues promptly, which is the end of it. Keep in mind, multiple warnings (even for different issues) start to indicate a pattern of carelessness, which may escalate our concern. We log all past warnings, so if we see a trend, the next step might be suspension rather than another warning. 

• Suspension (Temporary Disablement): A suspension means your publisher account is temporarily disabled – no ads will be served on any of your sites during this period, and you can’t earn revenue. We resort to suspension if a violation is serious or after repeated issues where warnings haven’t led to necessary changes. For example, if we catch clear invalid traffic (bots) coming from your site, we might suspend first and investigate. Or if after a warning you only partially fixed a problem or backslid later, we might suspend to get your full attention. When suspended, we will send you a notice including: the reason for suspension, any evidence if applicable, and what (if anything) you can do to be reinstated. Some suspensions might be “until further notice” while we investigate; others might demand an action from you (“Please remove the illegal content and confirm, then we’ll review to reinstate”). Suspension is meant as a strong signal that something needs correction, but it’s not necessarily the end of the road. We aim to resolve suspensions either back to good standing or to termination in a reasonable time; it’s not good for either of us to linger in limbo. During suspension, we may also hold payouts as noted earlier (if related to the issue). 

• Termination (Account Closure): Termination is the permanent banning of you as a publisher from our platform. This can happen for a single very severe violation or after a track record of problems and non-compliance. When we terminate, we will inform you that your account is terminated (usually via email) and briefly state the cause (e.g., “due to persistent policy violations” or “due to fraud”). Examples of conduct that can lead to immediate termination: 

  • Egregious fraud, such as you yourself faking conversions or using bots extensively. 

  • Content violations beyond the pale (e.g., we find child exploitation content on your site – that’s not just a ban, but we’d report to authorities). 

  • A security incident where your site knowingly put users at risk (phishing for wallet keys etc.), which destroys trust. 

  • Non-payment or financial misconduct (though in publisher case that’s rare – more relevant to advertisers). 

  • Encouraging others to abuse the system, like running a network of sites solely to spam ads. 

  • If you were previously terminated and try to rejoin under another identity and we discover it – immediate termination again. 

  • As specified in Terms, any behavior we deem in our sole discretion to be highly detrimental to the platform or our partners. 

Termination means you must cease using our ad code entirely. We may blacklist your sites, domains, and possibly associated identities (emails, company name, crypto addresses) from future sign-ups. If appropriate, we might also alert other networks or relevant parties (especially if it involved criminal activity). It’s somewhat irreversible – we don’t take termination lightly and thus appeals rarely overturn it, unless new evidence shows we made a mistake. 

• Payment after Termination: As covered, if you’re terminated for cause, any unpaid earnings that are the result of policy-violating activity will not be paid. We’ll likely still pay out legitimate earnings from prior to violations (if any) as required by law or at our discretion, but we might offset any damages or fees we incurred. You’ll get a final accounting statement. If you terminated yourself or were terminated amicably (say we shut down the program or something non-violation-related), then we’d pay everything owed per normal schedule. After termination, you won’t have access to the dashboard, so ensure you’ve saved any needed reports beforehand. 

• Appeals and Reinstatement: We provide a channel for you to appeal enforcement actions if you believe there’s been a mistake or you have remedied the situation convincingly. For warnings, you can simply reply to the email if you disagree and we’ll listen (maybe we misunderstood something). For suspensions, definitely reach out once you’ve taken corrective action or if you think we got false positives. Provide as much detail as possible – e.g., “I was suspended for bot traffic, but I investigated and found it was a bunch of college computers behind one IP, not bots. Here are server logs. I’ve also added a bot-filtering tool to be safe.” We will review appeals with an open mind. If we see genuine effort and improvement, and the risk is mitigated, we often reinstate with perhaps a probationary period of monitoring. For terminations, appeal chances are slimmer, but you can still contact us. If new evidence incontrovertibly shows we erred (it does happen rarely, like if two sites had similar names and we terminated the wrong one), we’ll own it and restore your account. If you admit fault but plead for one last chance, we’ll weigh the severity and history. We have to balance fairness to you with protecting advertisers – trust is hard to rebuild once broken. But we won’t ignore an appeal; you’ll get a response. Note: decisions on appeals are final; if we decide to uphold a termination, that’s the end of the line. Repeated inquiries without new info won’t change it. 

• No Waiver of Policy Enforcement: If we choose not to act immediately on a known issue, or if we give leniency in some instance, that does not mean the policy is waived. For example, if we caught a minor violation and just quietly fixed it on our end without flagging you, that isn’t permission to keep doing it. We might have just prioritized other issues or assumed it was a one-time fluke. We reserve the right to enforce any rule at any time, and our failure to do so in one case doesn’t remove your obligation to follow it. This also means you can’t cite “But X other site is doing this and you haven’t banned them!” – maybe we aren’t aware yet or are investigating. We try to enforce consistently, but the absence of visible action doesn’t equal consent. Always focus on your compliance. 

• Collaboration with Authorities and Industry: We will comply with lawful requests from authorities regarding investigations (e.g., if law enforcement is investigating illegal content on your site, we’ll cooperate as required). We may also proactively report criminal material or activities (child exploitation, fraud, etc.) to relevant agencies – our duty to the law and user safety comes first. Additionally, in cases of fraud, we might share information (where legal) with industry groups or coalitions aimed at preventing ad fraud. For instance, there are blacklists that ad networks share of known bad actors – we might add a serious violator to such lists to prevent them from harming others. We do this responsibly and respecting privacy laws (usually such sharing is about business entities or pseudonymous data, not personal data of individuals, except if criminal and allowed). 

• Platform Integrity Measures: Sometimes enforcement isn’t about a rule violation per se, but about protecting system stability or fairness. For example, if a bug in our system starts crediting conversions incorrectly, we might pause all payouts or certain functions temporarily while we fix it – that’s not your fault, just a necessary measure. Or if an advertiser suddenly spends way more than expected due to a glitch, we might freeze related transactions until sorted. We could also impose limits like capping conversions from a new publisher until trust is built (to avoid major fraud impact). These kinds of actions aren’t punitive towards you, so we wouldn’t label them “enforcement” in a blame sense, but we mention them here so you understand that we may sometimes restrict or adjust things in the interest of platform integrity. We’ll communicate these events if they affect you significantly (“Due to a technical issue, we are delaying today’s conversion reports” etc.). They are usually short-term and rare. 

• Relationship with Advertiser Enforcement: Note that advertisers also have a policy and enforcement process. If an advertiser violates rules (like runs deceptive ads), we’ll remove or suspend them. Why mention it here? Because sometimes an issue can involve both sides – e.g., an advertiser might blame a publisher for fraud, or vice versa. We investigate impartially. If an advertiser’s product was scammy and harmed your users, we’d penalize the advertiser (and possibly retroactively invalidate conversions). If a publisher faked conversions costing an advertiser, we’d penalize the publisher (and compensate the advertiser). We try to keep trust on both sides. So if you ever suspect an advertiser’s ad on your site violates our content rules or is causing problems, report it – we’ll look into it as part of enforcement on that side. We want a clean ecosystem end-to-end. 

13. Amendments and Updates to this Policy 

The digital advertising landscape and regulatory environment can evolve rapidly. To keep this Publisher Policy effective and up-to-date, we may need to amend or update it from time to time. This section explains how we handle changes to the Policy and how those changes apply to you. 

• Policy Changes: Specify reserves the right to modify this Publisher Policy as our business needs or legal obligations require. Common reasons for updates might include: introducing new features or models (for instance, if we add a new ad format or a new payout mechanism that needs policy coverage), changes in law (like a new privacy regulation requiring updated terms), adjustments to address emerging fraud techniques or content issues, or clarifications to existing rules based on our experiences. We strive not to make rules more restrictive arbitrarily – generally, changes aim to clarify uncertainties, expand to cover new scenarios, or strengthen protection where gaps are found. 

• Notification of Changes: When we make material changes to the Policy, we will provide you with notice. “Material” means anything that significantly affects your rights or obligations (for example, a change in payment terms, or introducing a new restricted content category). Minor tweaks or grammatical corrections might not warrant a blast announcement, but anything important will be communicated. Notification methods may include: 

  • An email to the primary address on your account, summarizing the changes or stating that the Policy has been updated and linking to it. 

  • A prominent alert in your publisher dashboard (e.g., a popup or banner saying “Publisher Policy updated – click to read”). 

  • An announcement on our official blog or help center. 

  We aim to give advance notice where feasible, especially for changes that might require you to take action. For instance, if we were to ban a content category that some publishers have, we might announce it and give a grace period to comply. However, in some cases (like legal compliance), changes might be effective immediately to meet a deadline. 

• Reviewing Updates: We encourage you to review the Policy periodically regardless of notices. The “Last updated” date at the top will tell you when it was last changed. We may also include a revision history or changelog for transparency, highlighting what’s different. If you’re ever unsure about a new rule or how it might impact you, reach out to us – we can clarify the intent and expectations. It’s better to ask than to be unaware and inadvertently violate something. 

• Acceptance of Changes: By continuing to use Specify’s platform and services as a publisher after a Policy update goes into effect, you are agreeing to the revised Policy. If you do not agree to any change, your remedy is to stop using the platform (and you may terminate your publisher account as described in Section 4.4). We really hope changes will never be so disagreeable that it comes to that; typically, our interests align with yours (e.g., a change to combat fraud protects honest publishers). But we state this explicitly: the updated Policy governs going forward, and using the service means you’re on board with it. 

• Incorporation into Terms: Remember that this Policy is part of the Terms of Service by reference. Changes here are effectively changes to that agreement between us, specific to publishing. The Terms of Service might also be updated occasionally, which we’d communicate similarly. If a Policy update somehow conflicts with the Terms, as noted in the introduction, the Policy prevails for its subject matter. We work to ensure consistency though. 

• Feedback on Changes: We value our community’s input. If a policy change doesn’t sit right with you or you foresee issues, please tell us. Sometimes a guideline might unintentionally create a hardship – if we know, we can often adjust or provide exceptions. For example, if we banned something that a lot of quality publishers do for legitimate reasons, we’d want to revisit that. Your feedback has weight, especially when it’s constructive and representative of many publishers’ concerns. Policy management is a dialogue: we enforce rules, but we’re also open to evolving them with reason.