This Acceptable Use Policy (“AUP”) defines what is and isn't allowed on uReferrals. It supplements the Terms of Service; violations may result in account suspension, withheld commissions, and termination.
1. Promotion methods (Affiliates)
Allowed:
- Honest, disclosed promotion on owned channels (your blog, newsletter, podcast, social profiles, YouTube channel).
- Paid ads only if the Builder explicitly permits paid promotion in their program rules. Many do not.
- Email outreach to people who've opted in to hear from you.
Prohibited:
- Spam — unsolicited bulk email, DMs, or comments.
- Impersonation — pretending to be the Builder, an employee, an investor, or an official representative.
- Fake reviews, fake testimonials, or AI-generated content presented as human experience.
- Bidding on the Builder's brand keywords, trademarks, or domain on Google, Bing, Meta, or any other ad platform — unless explicitly written into the program rules.
- Cookie stuffing, iframe stuffing, redirect chains, browser extensions that inject referral codes, or any other attribution manipulation.
- Self-referral — using your own affiliate link to buy from yourself, family members, alt accounts, or coordinated networks.
- Coupon poaching — running a coupon site that intercepts customers already on the Builder's checkout.
- Misleading domains — registering misspellings, typo-squats, or look-alike domains of the Builder.
- Promotions on platforms whose terms forbid affiliate links (check the platform's rules; some forbid affiliate links in DMs or in specific subreddits).
2. Disclosure
You must clearly disclose your affiliate relationship anywhere you promote a product. Use wording like “Affiliate link” or “I earn a commission if you sign up via this link.” Specific rules apply by jurisdiction:
- US: FTC requires clear, conspicuous disclosure (16 CFR Part 255).
- UK: ASA / CMA requires “Ad” or “Affiliate” labelling visible upfront.
- EU: The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive plus national implementations require disclosure of commercial relationships.
We don't enforce specific wording, but we will act on credible complaints.
3. Content rules
Content you create or distribute through uReferrals (program names, product descriptions, affiliate signup pages, transactional emails) may not:
- Infringe copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property.
- Be defamatory, harassing, hateful, or threatening.
- Promote violence, illegal activity, or self-harm.
- Contain malware, phishing, or links to known malicious sites.
- Be sexually explicit, target minors, or violate sanctions / export-control law.
4. Builder responsibilities
- You may not run a program that incentivizes affiliates to violate any rule above.
- You may not retroactively change commission rates to avoid paying out earned commissions.
- If you become aware of a problem affiliate (spam, fraud, brand-bidding), report them at hello@ureferrals.com; don't try to silently zero them out.
- Your product itself must be lawful and legitimate. We don't support programs for illegal goods, regulated industries without proper licensing (gambling, certain financial products, prescription drugs, controlled substances), or scams.
5. Technical abuse
Don't:
- Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of any uReferrals system without our written authorization. Coordinated disclosure is welcome — email hello@ureferrals.com with “Security” in the subject line.
- Send automated requests to our API beyond reasonable limits or in violation of any rate limits we publish.
- Attempt to forge authentication, sessions, CSRF tokens, or webhook signatures.
- Use the Service to coordinate a denial-of-service attack on us, on a Builder, or on a third party.
- Reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble our code beyond what's permitted by law.
6. Reporting violations
If you believe someone is violating this AUP, email hello@ureferrals.com with the following:
- The program name and / or affiliate handle involved.
- What rule you believe was broken.
- Any evidence — screenshots, URLs, dates, ad library IDs.
7. Enforcement
When we identify a violation we may, depending on severity:
- Issue a written warning.
- Pause new conversions on the affected affiliate or program pending investigation.
- Withhold commission for the conversions in question.
- Suspend or terminate the account.
- Refer the matter to law-enforcement or the relevant platform.
We try to act proportionately. First-time minor issues get a warning. Coordinated fraud or repeated abuse gets termination without further notice.
Notice: Counsel should review enforcement language and the jurisdiction-specific disclosure requirements before this is treated as final.