Policy (policy restriction) — traffic arbitrage slang for restrictions related to violations of an advertising platform’s rules. A policy restriction may affect an individual ad or an Ads Manager.
The term is most commonly used when working with Meta Ads, but other platforms also impose restrictions for violations of advertising rules, such as Google Ads.
What can trigger a Policy restriction
The reason depends on the rules of the specific advertising network. Moderation does not check only the creative. The platform may consider the ad text, images and videos, targeting, landing page, and advertised product.
For example, problems may arise due to prohibited topics, misleading claims, violations of requirements for a specific vertical, or a landing page that does not comply with advertising rules. Meta also has separate restrictions for attempts to bypass moderation.
In traffic arbitrage chats, you may come across phrases such as «got hit with a Policy restriction» or «the account got banned for a Policy violation».
Important: Policy does not always mean that an Ads Manager has been blocked. The platform may reject only a specific ad if it violates advertising rules. Restricting the account itself — is a more serious measure that may be applied, for example, in cases of severe or repeated violations.
