Yahoo App Publishing Policies

Last Updated February 19, 2015

All publishers participating in Yahoo App Publishing must comply with the following requirements.

General Requirements

• Publisher apps must meet all applicable Flurry guidelines and policies at all times.
• Only publisher apps distributed through the Apple App Store or Google Play store are eligible to use Yahoo ad products. Mobile applications available only through other third-party distributors are not permitted to promote Yahoo ads. Apps must remain in compliance with all Apple App Store and/or Google Play store terms and conditions in order to be eligible to promote Yahoo ads.
• If Flurry uncovers suspected non-compliance with these guidelines, the application or, in some cases, all of a publisher’s applications, may be subject to enforcement procedures including, but not limited to, termination of the publisher’s agreement(s) with Flurry.

Unacceptable Activities

Publishers may not do any of the following:

• Show Yahoo ads on any app not registered with Flurry.
• Use deceptive methods to generate clicks or installs, or engage in any other deceptive practices, as determined by Flurry.
• Modify the security or other settings that protect user privacy or otherwise cause damage to the normal operation of the user’s device.
• Collect personally identifiable information through the use of a keystroke logging function (e.g., storing username and password) or induce the user to provide personally identifiable information by intentionally misrepresenting the identity of the person seeking the information.
• Through an app, collect, use or share any information, including but not limited to personally identifiable information, that exceeds the types, uses or disclosure of information expressly described in the app’s privacy policy.
• Mimic other downloadable software or apps or otherwise misrepresent the nature or purpose of the download or app.
• Prevent reasonable and legitimate efforts to block the download, installation or execution of the application.
• Allow any app to be bundled with material violating any of these guidelines.
• Permit any malicious code or pirated software to be distributed in, by or bundled with an app.
• Publishers cannot minimize, remove or otherwise inhibit the full and complete display of any advertiser landing page.
• It is the publisher’s responsibility to ensure that any downloadable app is the authorized version of that app.

User Experience

• Apps may not take control of a user’s device maliciously.
• Apps may not automatically direct the user to a landing page not relevant to the ad offer.
• Apps may not change user preferences, reset default home pages or otherwise interfere with a user's ability to navigate within the mobile device, without appropriate prior notice and informed user consent. Applications that change user settings may only do so in a manner that is compliant with these guidelines and must clearly disclose if settings, programs or other apps are being changed in the user’s device.
• Clicking an ad must not be the only way for a user to exit a screen.

Unacceptable Content

Yahoo ads may not appear in applications containing or relating to the following topics and behaviors:

• Pay-to-install offers
• Adult products and sexually explicit content
• Selling or facilitating the sale of alcoholic beverages
• Any product or service from countries subject to U.S. trade sanctions or embargo
• Content of questionable legality or controversial content
• Copyright infringing content or infringement facilitation
• Defamatory, libelous, threatening or other content that advocates against any individual or entity
• Distribution of viruses, malware, spyware, or other unsafe downloads
• Hacking, surveillance, interception or descrambling equipment and techniques
• Online gambling
• Prescription, Schedule I and Schedule II drugs
• Recreational drugs and drug paraphernalia
• Selling or facilitating the sale of tobacco or tobacco-related products, including electronic cigarettes
• Vulgar and obscene content
• Selling or facilitating the sale of weapons of any kind, including: firearms, their integral parts and ammunition, military ordnance and grenades, knives marketed as weapons, other weapons such as metal knuckles, clubs, leaded canes, and the provision of “how-to” materials

Notices, Disclaimers and User Consent

• Publisher must always provide conspicuous notice to the user that clearly discloses in an understandable manner specific behaviors such as:
  • Adding an application
  • Changing any of the user’s device settings
  • Accessing data or information from a user’s device beyond what is necessary for the publisher’s app to function as disclosed
  • Causing known material adverse effects on system performance for typical users.
• Installation of any app without prior notice and express user consent is always prohibited.
• All apps must provide a conspicuous and easily understandable privacy statement that is accessible from the app store and within the app.
• All user notices shown as part of the user consent and installation process must be in clear language and prominently displayed.
• Misleading or irrelevant alert messaging when promoting or executing software downloads is prohibited.

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