Acceptable Use Policy

Acceptable Use Policy

Last Updated: July 8, 2026

1. Introduction

AD18 operates under a freemium posting model as described below.

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") supplements the AD18 Terms of Service and applies to all users of ad18.ca ("AD18," "the Platform," "we," "us," or "our").

By accessing, browsing, posting on, reposting, or purchasing services through the Platform, you agree to comply with this AUP, the Terms of Service, Refund Policy, Privacy Policy, ID Verification Policy, and any other policies referenced on the Platform.

This AUP is designed to protect users, prevent abuse, support lawful advertising, and preserve the safety and integrity of the Platform.

2. General Standards of Conduct

Users must use the Platform only for lawful purposes and must comply with all applicable federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal laws and regulations.

Users are solely responsible for the content they post, the accuracy of their listings, the rights to any images or materials they upload, and their conduct on or through the Platform.

Users must not abuse, threaten, harass, exploit, impersonate, defraud, or mislead other users, staff, moderators, service providers, or third parties.

3. Freemium Posting and Repost Rules

AD18 uses a freemium posting model. Each account may have one active free base ad at a time, subject to Platform rules, moderation, category requirements, and technical availability.

A free base ad runs for thirty (30) days unless removed earlier for policy violations, user deletion, technical reasons, legal requirements, payment processor requirements, or Platform enforcement.

When a free base ad expires, the user may Repost the expired ad or delete it and create a new free base ad, provided the account remains eligible and does not already have an active free base ad.

A second active ad, concurrent ad, or any other listing beyond the free base ad allowance is a paid service where available.

Paid upgrades, boosts, featured placement, premium visibility, and similar enhancements are available only through the user dashboard where enabled. Free ads do not include paid upgrades by default.

Base ad posting terms are thirty (30) days at launch. Other base ad terms are not offered unless AD18 expressly states otherwise.

  • Users must not create multiple accounts to obtain extra free ads.
  • Users must not delete and repost ads to evade moderation, reports, pricing rules, category rules, search limits, or enforcement history.
  • Expired, reposted, deleted, shadowbanned, or restricted ads may remain linked to moderation, audit, payment, fraud-prevention, and compliance records.
  • AD18 may limit, refuse, delay, remove, or charge for posting where we detect abuse of the free ad allowance.

4. Prohibited Content

The following content is strictly prohibited on AD18:

  • Escorting, sexual services, paid companionship, or arranging sexual activity
  • Human trafficking, exploitation, coercion, abuse, or non-consensual activity
  • Any content involving minors or anyone who is not legally able to consent
  • Stolen, impersonated, unauthorized, revenge, leaked, or non-consensual images or content
  • Illegal drugs, controlled substances, drug trafficking, firearms, weapons, explosives, stolen property, counterfeit goods, or illegal goods
  • Violence, threats, self-harm promotion, harassment, hate speech, or discriminatory content
  • Fraud, scams, phishing, deceptive listings, false claims, impersonation, or deceptive pricing
  • Content that attempts to bypass moderation, payment rules, category rules, verification, contact-field rules, or Platform safety systems

Advertising, offering, arranging, facilitating, or promoting sexual services is prohibited.

5. Adult-Safety Rules

AD18 is a mainstream classifieds marketplace and does not provide categories for adult services, dating, paid companionship, escorting, hookup-style listings, or sexually explicit services.

The following are prohibited:

  • Explicit sexual services
  • Offers for in-person sexual activity
  • Escorting or paid companionship
  • Content involving minors
  • Content involving coercion, exploitation, trafficking, abuse, or non-consenting adults
  • Stolen, impersonated, leaked, or unauthorized content
  • Content that suggests illegal activity or attempts to evade Platform rules

Certain categories may require additional confirmations, acknowledgements, or agreements before posting.

6. Category Rules

Ads must be posted in the correct category and subcategory.

Users may not misclassify listings to avoid moderation, pricing rules, safety rules, payment rules, free ad limits, or category restrictions.

AD18 may move, restrict, reject, remove, shadowban, or reclassify ads that are posted in the wrong category.

Some categories may have stricter rules due to legal, safety, payment, or compliance requirements.

7. Pricing Rules

At launch, pricing fields may be restricted or disabled in categories where prices are not appropriate for the listing type, including Local Groups & Activities and Creative & Marketing Services.

Other permitted categories may allow price fields where lawful and appropriate, including Buy & Sell, Local Services, Jobs & Gigs, Events & Local Experiences, and Digital Services & Remote Help.

Where pricing is disabled, users must not place prices, rates, coded pricing, menus, payment terms, or negotiation language inside titles, descriptions, images, tags, contact fields, or external-link labels.

False, deceptive, bait-and-switch, or misleading pricing is prohibited in all categories.

8. Contact Information Rules

Contact details must be entered only in the dedicated contact fields provided by the Platform.

Users must not place phone numbers, email addresses, social handles, external links, usernames, payment handles, or contact instructions inside ad titles, descriptions, tags, images, or other restricted fields.

AD18 may remove, redact, block, or reject attempts to bypass this rule.

External links must not lead to illegal, exploitative, deceptive, malicious, non-consensual, trafficking-related, sexual-service, or otherwise prohibited content.

9. Ad Quality and Image Standards

Ads must clearly and accurately describe the lawful item, service, event, activity, or promotion being listed.

The following are prohibited:

  • Deliberately vague, misleading, coded, or evasive descriptions
  • Duplicate or spam listings
  • Keyword stuffing
  • Misleading locations, categories, prices, availability, or contact details
  • Stolen, copyrighted, AI-impersonated, or unauthorized images
  • Images involving minors, exploitation, trafficking, violence, illegal goods, or prohibited adult activity
  • Attempts to hide prohibited content in screenshots, watermarks, symbols, coded language, or images

Users may only upload images they own or have permission to use. Uploaded images may be resized, compressed, converted, watermarked, scanned, blocked, or removed.

10. Prohibited Conduct

Users must not engage in:

  • Automated posting, bots, scraping, crawling, or data harvesting
  • Attempts to bypass moderation, verification, payment systems, free ad limits, rate limits, or account restrictions
  • Bulk posting, duplicate ads, spam, flooding, or manipulative reposting
  • Creating multiple accounts to evade bans, enforcement, payment obligations, or free ad limits
  • Harassing, threatening, doxxing, stalking, or abusing others
  • Publishing personal information without consent
  • Selling, renting, transferring, or reselling account access
  • Interfering with Platform security, availability, infrastructure, or users
  • Using the Platform to promote unrelated third-party platforms in a way that bypasses AD18 rules

11. Moderation and Enforcement

AD18 may use automated systems, keyword filters, image scanning, fraud detection, user reports, manual review, and other moderation tools.

We may review, reject, restrict, shadowban, suspend, remove, or refuse any ad, account, content, Repost, upgrade, or transaction at our discretion.

Shadowbanned or restricted ads may remain visible to the poster while hidden from other users.

Repeated or serious violations may result in account suspension, permanent ban, loss of posting privileges, loss of free ad eligibility, removal of listings, refusal of future service, preservation of records, or referral to law enforcement.

All moderation and enforcement actions may be logged for safety, audit, legal, payment, and compliance purposes.

12. Reporting and Appeals

Users may report ads or accounts they believe violate this AUP.

Report reasons may include:

  • Scam or fraud
  • Stolen photos
  • Illegal content
  • Spam
  • Misleading category or description
  • Hate, harassment, or threats
  • Personal information or doxxing
  • Exploitation, trafficking, or minor-safety concerns
  • Other policy violations

Ads receiving multiple reports may be prioritized for review. Users may appeal moderation decisions through the Platform support process within seven (7) days of the enforcement action. Appeals are reviewed at AD18 discretion. Final decisions remain with AD18.

13. Consequences of Violation

Violating ads may be removed without notice.

Accounts may be restricted, suspended, permanently banned, referred to appropriate authorities, or made ineligible for free posting privileges.

Users who violate this AUP are not entitled to refunds, credits, free ad restoration, Repost privileges, upgrades, packages, or services affected by the violation, except where required by law.

AD18 may preserve relevant records where necessary for fraud prevention, payment disputes, moderation, safety investigations, legal compliance, tax compliance, or law enforcement cooperation.

14. Law Enforcement Cooperation

AD18 may cooperate with valid subpoenas, court orders, law enforcement requests, regulatory requests, payment processor investigations, or legal obligations.

Reports involving minors, exploitation, trafficking, imminent harm, credible threats, or serious illegal activity may be escalated immediately to appropriate authorities.

Reported content, account records, payment records, support records, and moderation logs may be preserved where required or permitted by law.

15. Updates to This AUP

AD18 may update this AUP from time to time to reflect changes in law, Platform operations, payment processing, moderation practices, safety standards, categories, pricing, freemium features, or compliance requirements.

The "Last Updated" date indicates the current version. Continued use of the Platform after updated terms are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised AUP.

16. Contact

For support, reports, appeals, or policy questions, contact AD18 Support at support@ad18.ca.