Twitter Ads policies

Twitter’s Ads policies were last updated on September 30, 2014.

An update can be a change to this article, or a change to the articles linked from it. Please refer to our Ads Policy update log for a list of significant updates posted on or after November 15, 2013.

You can view available translations of this article by selecting a language in the upper-right corner of this page. Translations are provided as a convenience, and are not meant to change the content of our policies. The English version will control and should be your reference in case of conflict between a translation and the English version.

Advertisers on Twitter are responsible for their Twitter Ads. This means following all applicable laws and regulations, creating honest ads, and advertising safely and respectfully. This article describes our advertising policies. Our policies require you to follow the law, but they are not legal advice. We organize our policies around six principles:

1. Keep users safe.

Advertisers are responsible for the safety of the product, service, or message that their advertisement promotes. This includes responsibility for links within ads, as well as for transactions and sales promoted through Twitter Ads. To maintain user trust, the following rules apply to all advertisers:

• Ads for illegal goods and services are prohibited.
• Ads for products or services that are potentially unsafe or deceptive are prohibited.
• Ads making misleading or deceptive claims are prohibited, such as “get rich quick” offers.
• Ads that aren’t compatible with the way Twitter or Twitter Ads currently work are prohibited. For example, advertisements encouraging users to share their login information or post spam are prohibited.
• All advertisers should be honest and transparent about the product or service they offer. Include ample information and relevant disclaimers about the products you provide. Make sure users clearly understand the product or service they may be purchasing, along with any applicable billing or participation requirements.

Some of the categories that have particular Twitter Ads policies based on these rules are listed below. Please refer to the linked policy pages for more detail about how policies apply.

Twitter prohibits the promotion of products or services in the following categories:

• Adult or sexual products and services
• Drugs and drug paraphernalia
• Endangered species products
• Hate content, sensitive topics, and violence
• Illegal products and services
• Spyware and illegal hacking
• Tobacco and tobacco accessories
• Unauthorized ticket sales
• Weapons and weapon accessories
• Trade restrictions
  • Twitter prohibits advertisements targeted to, and advertiser accounts from countries subject to U.S. trade sanctions and other U.S. export control laws. Individuals and entities subject to U.S. trade sanctions are also prohibited from signing up for a Twitter Ads account.

Twitter restricts the promotion of products or services in the following categories:

Note: Restrictions can be based on the specific product or service being promoted, as well as the country that the campaign is targeting.

• Alcohol content
• Financial services
• Gambling content
• Health and pharmaceutical products and services
• Political campaigning

TIP Certain industries and trade associations have their own self-regulatory codes for advertising and marketing. Advertisers on Twitter who are members of these associations should refer to these codes, in addition to Twitter's policies, for guidance on appropriate advertising practices.

2. Promote honest content and target it responsibly.

Prohibited Content for Minors 

The following products and services may not be knowingly marketed or advertised to minors on Twitter. Please note that asterisked items are prohibited from advertising on Twitter overall:

• Alcoholic beverages and related accessories
• Weapons, ammunition, or weapons training/certification
• Projectile, BB, or pellet guns/devices*
• Fireworks*
• Aerosol paint or etching cream capable of defacing property
• Tobacco products or accessories, including electronic cigarettes*
• Any controlled substance or paraphernalia*
• Drug paraphernalia*
• Any substance/material containing Salvia divinorum or Salvinorin A*
• Dietary supplement products
• Tanning in an ultraviolet tanning device
• Gambling products and services, including lotteries
• Body branding such as tattooing, body piercing, or permanent cosmetics
• Sexual products and services or content adult in nature

Advertisers are responsible for the authenticity of promoted content

Be honest with both the content of your ads and how you target them. Do not select targeting criteria that could reveal sensitive information about users. Don't subject users to advertising that isn't relevant to your brand or product. Twitter Ads must comply with the policies and rules listed below:

• Copyrighted materials and Twitter Ads
• Counterfeit goods policy
• Trademark Policy for Twitter Ads
• Sensitive categories
• Policies for Conversion Tracking and Tailored Audiences
• Policies for keyword targeting
• Usage of Public Personal Information in Ads
• Your advertisement must not assert of imply knowledge or personal information, such as name, except when the information is publicly available and with prior approval from Twitter. 
• Contact Twitter if you are interested in this option. 

• Collecting user information
  • If you collect user information, your Privacy Policy statement must explain what data is collected and how it will be used. The Privacy Policy should be posted on the same page as where this information is collected.
  • If you use Twitter’s lead generation cards, you must include a link to your Privacy Policy directly in your card. You can add this link through the Cards manager.
  • Pages where users are asked to enter private and confidential information must use a secure processing server (https://). Examples of private and confidential information include: credit card numbers, bank information, and social security number.
• Including user content in ads
  • Do not include another person’s content in Twitter Ads without the person’s permission. Create your own Tweets, or get permission from the authors of the Tweets and Retweets you use.
• Selecting targeting keywords
  • Trending topics represent popular conversations on Twitter at any moment. Do not target trending topic keywords unless your Tweets are relevant to that conversation.
  • Targeting sensitive breaking news events such as political uprisings, disasters, and deaths is restricted.

TIP Be ready to make changes to your targeting if the context of a keyword changes because of an emergent event. Familiarize yourself with the steps for adding, removing, and excluding keywords within your campaigns. For more information, click here.

3. Don't distribute spam, harmful code, or other disruptive content.

Unsolicited content is annoying to users. Keep Twitter engaging.

• Spam
  • Do not spam users. The specific behaviors that are considered as spam are described in the Twitter Rules.
• Phishing and malware
  • Do not direct users to phishing links, malware, or other harmful codes or sites that alter the user's machine without notification or user consent.

TIP If your ad campaign uses @replies or direct messages to interact with many users, pay attention to user feedback showing whether users find your approach annoying or spammy. Advertiser accounts that are blocked or reported as spam by users are at risk of being suspended. Please also review our Automation Guidelines for an overview of what types of programmatic automation are prohibited.

4. Set high editorial standards for the Twitter Ads content you create.

Advertisers are responsible for the editorial quality of their Twitter Ads. Your account and Twitter Ads copy must comply with the following set of editorial guidelines, which are designed to encourage clear, legible advertisements:

• Advertising potentially offensive content policy and best practices
• Editorial guidelines for advertising
• Promoted Trends guidelines
• Twitter Ads profile guidelines

5. Set high standards for the off-Twitter connections you create.

Advertisers are responsible for the links within ads that connect users to information and content outside of the Twitter.com domain. Help us maintain a positive experience for user interactions by observing good URL habits in your promoted content:

• URL requirements for advertising

6. Be informed about the Twitter Ads processes that support these policies

Twitter has various processes to ensure that these ads policies are followed. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the ways in which ads policy processes can impact your use of Twitter Ads:

• Twitter Ads policy update log
• About Twitter Ads approval
• About Twitter Ads offboarding

TIP  In addition to Twitter Ads Policies, advertisers must follow Twitter’s Terms of Service, Twitter Rules, and all the policies on our Help Center governing use of our services. Please take a moment to review them.  

Have questions or feedback about something on this page?

If you are an advertiser whose account or Tweets are under review and you would like to check on the status or request an expedited review, please log in to ads.twitter.com and file a support ticket using the Help? button in the top right corner of your ads dashboard.

Learn more about blocking or dismissing ads by reading this article on “Reporting Twitter Ads”. To report an ad that is potentially violating these policies, use the Report an Ad form.

Using Twitter Ads Policy, the Twitter Rules and our Terms of Service, we will examine reported violations and take appropriate action.

If you are interested in advertising on Twitter and want to learn more, please visit business.twitter.com.