Purpose:

SmartNews provides advertising products that include targeting features. In line with relevant laws and regulations, and with the goal of safeguarding user privacy and supporting fair access to opportunities, advertisers are required to comply with the below policy.

Audience Eligibility:
Advertisers promoting products intended for 18+ or 21+ audiences (such as alcohol or similar categories) are expected to target only audiences that are legally eligible. Nothing in this policy should be interpreted as restricting an advertiser’s ability to target appropriate audiences in order to comply with applicable law or standards.

Partner Conduct:
SmartNews supports responsible targeting practices that are fair, lawful, and respectful of user privacy. When targeting functions are implemented through external advertising systems or partners, SmartNews’s oversight is limited to its own operational scope.
All partners involved in ad delivery are required to maintain and enforce anti-discrimination standards equivalent to those set forth in this policy, ensuring that all targeting practices comply with applicable laws and uphold SmartNews’s commitment to equitable access and opportunity.

Scope:

This policy applies to all advertising products that use targeting features.

Policy:

The below targeting actions are prohibited for all advertisers:

1) Under-18 users:

Prohibited:

• Targeting ads to users under 18
• Interest targeting for users under 18
• Location targeting of users under 18
• Audience targeting to explicitly include users under 18
• SMART targeting/audience expansion features for users under 18

Allowed: If an advertiser selects an “all users” targeting category (i.e. no demographic targeting), inclusion of users under 18 is allowed.

2) Targeting using sensitive information:

In consideration of user privacy, targeting using information closely related to the following attributes or items is prohibited:

Matters related to identity and beliefs

• Sexual orientation
• Identity as transgender
• Religion or beliefs
• Race, ethnicity, or national origin or marginalized group (social class, immigration status, refugee status, etc.)
• Membership in a labor union or participation in a labor movement
• Voting behavior/political beliefs

Matters related to personal hardship or suffering

• Economic poverty, hardship
• Criminal history, status as victim of a crime
• Health status (both physical and mental), test results (disease, disability, treatment, related services)
• Status as victim of a disaster
• Abuse and trauma
• Negative or prejudiced content (appearance, social relationships, age, etc.)

Matters related to personal life

• Human relationships
• Sex life, sexual preference
• Contraception
• Sexual content

Genetic or biometric information

3) Targeting using sensitive location information:

The below types of location targeting are prohibited:

Where repeat visits may lead to identification of an individual

• A specific individual’s place of residence, workplace, school, etc. (when the area is narrower than a postal code and there is a possibility that an individual may be identified)

Targeting users based on locations that can reveal sensitive information, including the below:

• Medical facilities (e.g., hospitals, clinics, reproductive health centers)
• Religious sites (e.g., places of worship)
• Political organizations
• Addiction recovery facilities
• Correctional facilities
• Shelters or social service facilities

4) Special ad categories:

SmartNews restricts targeting features for advertisements related to employment, housing, and consumer finance. This practice aligns with applicable U.S. law and reflects a commitment to supporting fair access to social and economic opportunities.

Advertisers in these categories may not target ads using the following criteria:

• Age
• Gender
• Location more granular than city level (e.g., ZIP code or radius targeting is prohibited)

To ensure that targeting based on the above criteria does not occur, the use of lookalike audiences and smart targeting features are prohibited for these types of ads.

Employment:

Definition: Ads that promote or solicit employment opportunities, including but not limited to job listings, recruitment campaigns, or employment-related training programs.
Examples (non exhaustive): Job postings or recruiting ads for full-time, part-time, contract, or seasonal positions, ads for professional training or certification programs tied to job placement

Housing:

Definition: Ads that promote or solicit housing opportunities, including the sale or rental of residential properties.
Examples (non exhaustive): Listings for apartments, homes, or condos for rent or sale; real estate services or brokerage ads; mortgage lending or refinancing services tied to residential housing; shared housing or roommate-matching advertisements

Consumer finance:

Definition: Ads that promote or solicit credit opportunities, financial products, or services that involve lending, credit extension, or deferred payment.
Examples (non exhaustive): Credit card offers or applications; personal loans, payday loans, auto loans, student loans; mortgage or home equity loans; installment financing programs or “buy now, pay later” services

5) Others:

In addition to the restrictions above, SmartNews places additional limits on certain categories of ads that may raise user safety, legal, or ethical concerns. SmartNews may update this list over time.

Gambling ads

Definition: Ads promoting gambling, betting, lotteries, or games of chance involving money or any item of value.
Restrictions: To protect highly vulnerable populations in economically disadvantaged communities or universities, location-based targeting as granular as zip code level is not permissible for gambling advertisements.
Advertisers promoting gambling or betting must restrict their campaigns to states where such activities are legally permitted. SmartNews continues to allow state-level targeting to help ensure compliance with applicable laws.

Enforcement

Violations of this policy may result in rejection of ad campaigns, suspension of advertising accounts, or permanent removal from SmartNews’s advertising platform.