Core Principle
Readers must be able to distinguish independent editorial work from paid, sponsored, commissioned, affiliate, or otherwise commercially influenced material before they rely on it. Online Safety does not accept payment in exchange for undisclosed editorial endorsement, fabricated independence, guaranteed favorable conclusions, hidden backlinks, or suppression of a legitimate correction.
Commercial activity may support the publication, but it must not be allowed to mislead readers about who funded content, who controlled it, or whether Online Safety independently reached the stated conclusion.
Labels We Use
“Sponsored” identifies content funded by an advertiser or sponsor and produced by, with, or for Online Safety under a commercial arrangement.
“Partner Content” identifies material created in collaboration with a named commercial or institutional partner. The label does not imply independent reporting.
“Advertisement” identifies a direct promotional message controlled primarily by the advertiser.
“Affiliate Disclosure” identifies content containing links or codes through which Online Safety may receive a commission or other benefit if a reader takes an action.
“Supported by” may be used where a funder supported a project but did not control the editorial findings. The exact relationship and safeguards must be explained.
Labels are placed prominently at or before the beginning of the content, use plain language, remain visible on mobile devices, and are not hidden in a footer, hover state, color alone, or vague expression such as “special feature”.
Editorial and Commercial Separation
Commercial personnel may discuss format, audience, schedule, factual product information, legal requirements, and deliverables. They may not instruct independent editors to reach a predetermined conclusion, remove verified criticism, conceal the sponsor, or mislabel advertising as news.
Sponsored and partner content may be reviewed for accuracy, substantiation, legality, safety, intellectual property, and house style. The sponsor may review its own factual information and confidential business details, but it may not receive control over unrelated editorial coverage or Online Safety’s future reporting.
Substantiation and Safety
Commercial claims must be supportable. Testimonials, performance claims, security claims, health claims, financial claims, comparative claims, and environmental claims receive heightened review. A disclaimer cannot cure a materially false or misleading central claim.
Online Safety may reject or remove content involving unlawful goods or services, fraud, deceptive investment schemes, unsafe medical claims, exploitation, hate or extremist advocacy, non-consensual sexual material, trafficking, malicious software, unlawful surveillance, academic cheating, impersonation, counterfeit goods, or other material inconsistent with law, safety, or public trust.
Affiliate Content
Affiliate relationships are disclosed before or near the first relevant link and, where appropriate, at the top of the article. The possibility of earning a commission does not guarantee a positive review or inclusion. Selection criteria, testing method, access arrangements, and material limitations should be stated where relevant.
Affiliate and paid links are technically marked with an appropriate sponsored or nofollow relationship where required by search-engine guidance and applicable platform rules. Online Safety does not sell unmarked links intended to manipulate search ranking.
Sponsored Research, Reports, and Events
A sponsor of research, a report, an event, a newsletter, a series, or a special project is identified. The disclosure explains whether the sponsor selected the topic, supplied data, funded reporting, reviewed a draft, or had no editorial control. A statement of independence is used only when operational safeguards support it.
If the sponsor is a subject of the coverage, that relationship is disclosed more prominently. Where independence cannot reasonably be protected, the work is treated as commercial content rather than independent journalism.
Influencers, Contributors, and Personal Relationships
Authors and contributors must disclose compensation, free products, travel, employment, consulting, investment, family connections, and other material relationships with a subject. A personal disclosure by the author does not replace the publication’s responsibility to label commercial content correctly.
Corrections, Removal, and Archives
Sponsored and affiliate material is subject to accuracy corrections. Payment does not prevent correction, annotation, or removal where content becomes unlawful, materially misleading, unsafe, or inconsistent with policy. The commercial archive should preserve the original label and sponsor identity even after a campaign ends, unless law requires otherwise.
A commercial partner may request an update, but cannot purchase the removal of a legitimate correction or public-interest disclosure.
Data and Privacy
Advertising, affiliate, and measurement technologies are governed by the Privacy and Cookie Policies. Optional tracking is not activated before valid consent where consent is required. Commercial partners do not receive unrestricted access to reader identities, confidential source information, complaint records, or unpublished editorial plans.
Political and Issue Advertising
Any political, election, referendum, or issue advertisement, if accepted, requires sponsor verification, jurisdictional review, explicit labeling, and compliance with applicable transparency rules. It is never presented as independent editorial coverage. Online Safety may decline such advertising where verification, legal compliance, or reader protection cannot be assured.
Complaints and Contact
Questions about commercial content may be sent to advertising@onlineSafety.org. Accuracy concerns should be sent to corrections@onlineSafety.org. A concern that commercial influence affected independent journalism should be sent to complaints@onlineSafety.org.