This document describes requirements for advertisements in Brave’s ads system. If you wish to serve advertisements in Brave, your ads must comply with these requirements. If you use Brave (the browser) and elect to be shown ads, you can expect that Brave (the company) will do our best to ensure that all ads meet this standard.
Advertising must be of good quality and must not be misleading, deceptive, defamatory, or sensational. Ads must comply with all applicable law. Claims in ads must be backed by appropriate scientific evidence. We follow the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) advertising and marketing communications code. We also have additional requirements or our own. If we remove ads for any reason, further insertion orders will be subject to additional review, which may result in delays. Repeated attempts to post prohibited ads may result in disqualification.
General Requirements
Legality & Jurisdiction
Ads are only permitted if the subject of the ad is legal to advertise, sell, and use in all of the regions where the ad labeled to be shown as well as in the USA, in the state of California, and in the Cayman Islands.
Example:
It’s okay to run a campaign advertising beer in the USA as long as it’s labeled with the Alcohol & Recreational Drugs and Age-Restricted topics. That same campaign would not be acceptable in the UAE. Heroin is a recreational drug, but it’s illegal in the USA, so it would not be acceptable to advertise it. It would however be acceptable to run an ad campaign telling people not to use heroin as long as the campaign is labeled with the Alcohol & Recreational Drugs topic.
Landing Pages
All ads must lead to a functional landing page. All requirements relating to advertising applies both to ad content and to landing pages.
In addition, landing pages must not:
- Interfere with browser navigation or functionality;
- Use fingerprinting or other methods to identify or track visitors;
- Request notification or geolocation permission without user interaction;
- Automatically initiate a download; or
- Automatically show popups, pop-overs, etc.
Content Classifications
Note: Brave is not currently accepting ads related to sensitive topics. We are temporarily treating all sensitive topics as prohibited.
Brave Ads classifies certain topics as sensitive, restricted, or prohibited.
Sensitive Ads must be labeled with every applicable sensitive topic.
Restricted topics entail additional regulatory requirements or are subject to additional topic-specific rules. Please see the topic summary below for specifics about each topic.
Prohibited topics are, well, prohibited. Brave does not accept ads related to these categories.
Advertisers are responsible for labelling ads with every applicable sensitive topic, following any additional rules related to restricted topics, and avoiding prohibited topics entirely. Topic details are below.
| Topic | Classification |
|---|---|
| Age-restricted | sensitive |
| Alcohol & Recreational Drugs | sensitive |
| Financial Services | restricted |
| Gambling or Lotteries | sensitive |
| Hate Speech, Violence, & Discrimination | prohibited |
| Illegal Content or Products | prohibited |
| Parenting, Pregnancy, & Products for Infants | sensitive |
| Pharmaceuticals & Medical Products or Services | restricted |
| Political Campaigning | restricted |
| Pornography, Sex, & Sex Work | sensitive |
| Tobacco & Recreational Nicotine | prohibited |
Like other requirements, categorization extends to the additional context provided by the landing page.
Example:
An advertisement for a pair of handcuffs should be categorized as Pornography, Sex, & Sex Work if the landing page indicated that the handcuffs were intended for use during sex.
Sensitive Topics
Sensitive topics may discomfort some people. Though there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with any of these topics, it’s important to use labels so that everyone who uses Brave Ads can avoid whichever of these topics they choose to.
Age-Restricted
This topic applies if the content of the ad or the landing page is generally restricted to adults. This topic applies even if the ad is also labeled with another age-restricted topic like Alcohol & Recreational Drugs.
Illustrative examples (not comprehensive):
- A movie rated R in the USA or 18 in the UK
- Art supplies which may not be sold to children
Alcohol & Recreational Drugs
This topic applies to all ads for alcoholic products and all products & services related to the use of legal recreational drugs. Note that advertisements related to tobacco and nicotine are specifically prohibited. Some ads may both fit in this topic and in the Pharmaceuticals & Medical Products or Services topic.
Ads in this topic are only permitted if both the sale and intended use of the product or service being advertised is legal in all the regions where the ad is to be shown. Ads related to addiction treatment services are only acceptable if the provider is accredited.
Illustrative examples (not comprehensive):
- Beer, liquor, etc.
- Shot glasses
Gambling or Lotteries
Wagering, betting, or games of chance where real money is staked. Products or services which cosmetically imitate common gambling activities such as slot machines, mahjong, or poker, even if real money is not staked.
Illustrative examples (not comprehensive):
- State lotteries
- Casinos
- Online gambling services
Parenting, Pregnancy, & Products for Infants
This topic applies to all products and services related to the process of becoming a parent and raising a child.
Illustrative examples (not comprehensive):
- Diapers
- Fertility services
- Clothes for infants
Pharmaceuticals & Medical Products or Services
Products meant to diagnose, treat, or cure any illness or disease. Services which can only be provided by someone with a recognized medical qualification. Products which require a prescription from a medical provider.
Ads must not promote unsafe supplements, or those of dubious efficacy. Ads may not promote negative self-image as part of ostensibly promoting a health product or service.
Note: Brave Ads do not currently support enough text to convey the required disclosures for many pharmaceuticals and medical treatments.
Illustrative examples (not comprehensive):
- Pharmaceuticals which must be prescribed by a medical professional
- A knee brace which supports the use of an injured knee
- In-home nursing services offered by licensed personnel
Pornography, Sex, & Sex Work
Pornography, Sex, & Sex Work is a special case sensitive topic — it is off by default. Someone must deliberately enable this topic in order to see these ads.
Illustrative examples (not comprehensive):
- Vibrators
- Condoms
- Pornographic websites
Restricted Topics
Financial Services
Advertising for financial services is subject to additional regulation. It is an advertiser’s responsibility to ensure that they comply with regional advertising requirements for financial services.
In any event, we will not allow advertisements for payday loans, paycheck advances, bail bonds, or any short-term loans (90 days or less) intended to cover someone’s expenses until their next payday.
Political Campaigning
Advertising in relation to political campaigns is subject to substantial regulation and entails substantial ethical responsibility. We are developing specific requirements for this topic. Until those are complete, Brave Ads does not support ads related to political campaigns.
Prohibited Topics
Hate Speech, Violence, & Discrimination
Advertisements which tend to promote a prejudice towards a particular group, even when that group is not specifically enumerated or protected by law. Advertisements plausibly encouraging or promoting violence or the threat of violence.
Illegal Content or Products
Products or services which are not legal to advertise, sell, and use in all of the regions where the ad labeled to be shown as well as in the USA, in the state of California, and in the Cayman Islands. Content or the promise of content which would not be legal to show or sell in those same regions.
Ads discouraging illegal practices or products are permitted as long as they are unlikely to have the perverse effect of encouraging those practices or products.
Tobacco & Recreational Nicotine
All recreational use of nicotine. Cigarettes, cigars, loose tobacco, etc. Related paraphernalia, including vaping products.
Ads discouraging smoking are permitted. Ads promoting products or services intended to help people stop smoking or otherwise using nicotine are permitted. Any addiction service provider advertised must be accredited.
