Advertising Policy

Introduction

This Advertising Policy describes the standards and rules that govern all advertising displayed on filemint.dev. It applies to all ad formats, including display ads served by Google AdSense, any future direct sponsorships, and affiliate links.

Users, advertisers, and partners can rely on this document to understand how we approach monetization, what types of advertising are permitted, and how we protect users from misleading or harmful ad experiences. This policy is intended to complement our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

1. Placement Principles

Ad placement on FileMint follows these non-negotiable principles:

• Primary tool functionality and instructions remain visible before any ad units.
• Ad placement must not block upload controls, output previews, or action buttons.
• No deceptive UI patterns that blur the line between tools and advertisements.
• Ads are clearly visually separated from editorial content with appropriate spacing and labeling.
• We do not place ads immediately adjacent to content in a way that would cause accidental clicks.
• Ads will not be placed within tool output areas, result containers, or file download flows.

2. Ad Frequency & Density

We adhere to Google AdSense's Better Ads Standards and the Coalition for Better Ads guidelines to ensure a non-disruptive advertising experience:

3. Sponsored Content

• Sponsored content is clearly labeled with plain disclosure language (e.g., "Sponsored", "Advertisement", or "Paid Partnership").
• Labels appear above the sponsored content — not hidden in footnotes or fine print.
• Editorial decisions are independent from advertiser influence.
• No paid placement is presented as independent editorial recommendation or tool review.
• FileMint reserves the right to reject any sponsored content that conflicts with our editorial standards or misleads users.

4. User & Data Protections

• Consent controls are used for all non-essential tracking and advertising scripts — no ad scripts load until the user explicitly accepts our cookie consent banner.
• Core file processing workflows are local-first and do not depend on, communicate with, or interact with any ad vendor infrastructure.
• Users can opt out of personalized ads at any time without losing access to any tool functionality.
• We do not use data derived from file content to serve ads.
• Ad partners are prohibited from accessing the content of files processed using FileMint tools.

5. Consent-Based Advertising (GDPR & Privacy Compliance)

FileMint operates a consent-first advertising model in full compliance with GDPR, UK GDPR, CCPA, and other applicable privacy laws:

6. Invalid Traffic Policy

Invalid traffic (IVT) refers to any ad clicks or impressions that do not result from genuine user interest — including bot activity, accidental clicks, or incentivized engagement. FileMint has a zero-tolerance policy for invalid traffic.

Our Monitoring Commitment

• We actively monitor traffic quality through Google AdSense reporting and third-party analytics to detect anomalous patterns.
• Suspicious traffic sources are investigated and, where possible, excluded from serving ads.
• We cooperate fully with Google's invalid traffic detection systems and accept their traffic quality determinations.

7. Sensitive Content Categories

FileMint does not host, and will not display advertising adjacent to, content in the following sensitive categories (consistent with Google Publisher Policies):

FileMint is a general-purpose productivity tool site. All content on filemint.dev is appropriate for general audiences and complies with Google's content policies.

8. Prohibited Practices

• No auto-redirects, forced clicks, or aggressive pop-under behavior.
• No fabricated testimonials, fake countdowns, or misleading scarcity claims in ad-adjacent content.
• No ad density patterns that materially degrade usability on mobile (per Coalition for Better Ads).
• No ads disguised as system alerts, download buttons, or navigation elements.
• No "malvertising" — we do not knowingly serve ads from networks with history of distributing malware.
• No tracking pixels or ad scripts that run before user consent is obtained.
• No re-targeting of users based on the content of files they process using our tools.

9. Ad Partner Policies

We use Google AdSense as our primary ad network. FileMint operates as a publisher under the Google Publisher Policies, which take precedence over this policy where there is any conflict. For details on how Google uses data when serving ads on partner sites, please review:

• Google AdSense Program Policies
• How Google uses data when you use our partners' sites or apps
• Google Advertising Policies
• IAB Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF)

We monitor our ad partner policies for updates and adjust our implementation accordingly. If we add new ad partners in the future, this policy and our Cookie Policy will be updated to reflect the change.

10. Ongoing Review & Reporting

Ad implementation is reviewed during regular maintenance cycles. Our review process includes:

• Reviewing Google AdSense Policy Center alerts and acting on any flagged violations within 48 hours.
• Auditing ad placement on new pages and tool layouts before they are published.
• Monitoring user-reported ad issues and investigating complaints within 48 hours.
• Reviewing and updating this policy at least once per year, or whenever our ad partners or applicable laws change materially.

11. Report an Ad Problem

If you encounter an ad that is deceptive, offensive, disruptive, or violates these standards, please report it to us immediately. Include:

• The URL of the page where the ad appeared
• A description or screenshot of the ad
• The advertiser name or URL if visible
• The date and time you saw the ad