Confidential

Ad Tracker Blocker Policy

Last Updated: August 2021

This Ad Tracker Blocker Policy applies to all Ad Tracker Blockers (as defined below) distributed by Publisher (and, if distribution is expressly authorized by search provider, Publisher’s Syndication Partners) in connection with the Agreement. Unless otherwise defined herein, all capitalized terms have the meaning given in the Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, other search provider Policies may also apply to the Implementations governed by this policy. For the further avoidance of doubt, this Ad Tracker Blocker Policy does not apply to Ad Blockers, which are defined in and

governed by the Ad Blocking Policy.

      1. 1. Definitions.
        1. Ad Tracker Blocker. “Ad Tracker Blocker” refers to any feature or combination of features that acts to limit, disrupt, block, or otherwise reduce the ability to track a user who has viewed an Ad.
        2. Ad. “Ad” refers to any form of advertisement, including, without limitation, Paid Search Results, display ads, native ads, and video ads.
        3. Allowlisted Ad Trackers. “Allowlisted Ad Trackers” refers to the subset of ad trackers (i.e., instrumentation used to measure or track the delivery of, user clicks on, or conversion of, Ads) used connection with any of the following:
          1. Ads delivered on a website by that website’s owner or a corporate affiliate of that website’s owner (i.e., first party trackers);
          2. Paid Search Results;
          3. Ads served by or through search provider’s advertising platform (including, for clarity, Ads served on search provider’s properties); and
          4. Ads served by or through Microsoft Corporation’s advertising platform (including, for clarity, Ads served by search provider on Microsoft Corporation’s properties) (collectively, Sections 1(c)(iii) – 1(c)(iv) are the “search provider Trackers”).

The list of associated domains for the search provider Trackers is made available to Publisher by search provider (currently through the Publisher portal), and may be updated from time-to-time by search provider.

          1. Default-On Ad Tracker Blockers. “Default-On Ad Tracker Blockers” refers to Ad Tracker Blockers that are not Default-Off Ad Tracker Blockers.
          2. Default-Off Ad Tracker Blockers. “Default-Off Ad Tracker Blockers” refers to Ad Tracker Blockers that are (1) not enabled by default by Publisher (and, if applicable, Publisher’s Syndication Partners), and (2) affirmatively and knowingly enabled by the user.
          3. Model Ad Tracker Blocker. “Model Ad Tracker Blocker” refers to the Ad Tracker Blocker functionality incorporated into the then current version of the Microsoft Edge web browser, as more fully described in https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/web-platform/tracking-prevention (which may be updated from time-to-time).
            1. Implementation Requirements for Non-Standard Implementations. Except as expressly approved in writing by search provider and set forth in the Agreement, Publisher (and, if applicable, each of Publisher’s Syndication Partners) is expressly prohibited from the use or distribution of Ad Tracker Blockers in connection with any Implementation-type that requires separate or additional back-end system modifications, product support, and/or approvals by search provider (e.g., Private Search Implementations in which the user IP and user agent are obfuscated, as more fully detailed in the Private Search Policy; Full VPN Implementations, as more fully detailed in the VPN Policy; etc.).
            2. Implementation Requirements – Generally. Except for the Implementation-types encompassed by Section 2 above, the following requirements and restrictions apply to Publisher’s (and, if applicable, each of Publisher’s Syndication Partner’s) distribution of Default-On Ad Tracker Blockers (the “Publisher Default-On Ad Tracker Blocker”):
              1. Publisher (and, if applicable, each of Publisher’s Syndication Partners) is prohibited from incentivizing or misleading the user into enabling the Ad Tracker Blocker.
              2. The functionality of the Publisher Default-On Ad Tracker Blocker must be substantially similar, in principle and intent, to the Model Ad Tracker Blocker (as determined by search provider).
              3. The Publisher Default-On Ad Tracker Blocker must, at most, only block the same categories or groups of ad trackers that are blocked by the Model Ad Tracker Blocker. Such blocking must comply with the following requirements:
                1. Request Blocking: Ad trackers may be blocked from two types of requests:
                  1. Storage requests (i.e., blocking the ability of an ad tracker to persist data about the user); and/or
                  2. Resource requests (i.e., blocking the ad tracker from loading before the request reaches the network).
                2. Pre-Approved Request Blocking Schema: The Publisher Default-On Ad Tracker Blocker must use the same categories and groups of ad trackers as are identified by the Disconnect.me list. The Publisher Default-On Ad Tracker Blocker must only block “Storage” and “Resource” requests pursuant to the following schema:

Categories Per Disconnect. Me List

Type of request Blocked
Advertising
Storage
Analytics
Not Blocked
Content
Not Blocked
Cryptomining
Storage and Resource
Fingerprinting
Storage and Resource
Social
Storage
Other
Not Blocked
                  1. Other: Any Request Blocking schema that is not encompassed by Sections 3(c)(i) or 3(c)(ii) above must be submitted to search provider for prior approval.
                1. The Publisher Default-On Ad Tracker Blocker may block ad trackers from websites with which the user has not previously engaged, but must not block ad trackers:
                  1. once the user has engaged with a website belonging to the same parent entity as the ad tracker owner; 
                  2. once the user has engaged with ad trackers owned by one parent entity, which then are hosted on another website owned by that same parent entity; or 
                  3. once the user has engaged with the parent entity itself. 

For clarity, the following actions are examples of engagement:

o Direct navigations to a website;

o Active time on the website where activities such as scrolling, media playback, keypresses, etc. take place;

o Adding a website to a home screen or desktop.

                1. Publisher Default-On Ad Tracker Blockers must use the same entity mapping list as the Model Ad Tracker Blocker.
                2. Publisher Default-On Ad Tracker Blockers Implementations must show users the full list of ad trackers that are being blocked on a website with the additional ability for users to unblock or “allow-list” specific trackers.
                3. Publisher Default-On Ad Tracker Blockers must not block Allowlisted Ad Trackers.