Violations & Consequences

This document describes the penalties applied for violations of NotPixel’s content policies. Our enforcement system operates at progressive levels, with consequences proportional to the severity of the violation.

Strike System

NotPixel uses a strike (warning) system for violations that don’t result in immediate ban:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                           STRIKE SYSTEM                                      │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                              │
│  ┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐  │
│  │  STRIKE 1   │───►│  STRIKE 2   │───►│  STRIKE 3   │───►│  PERMANENT  │  │
│  │             │    │             │    │             │    │     BAN     │  │
│  │  Warning +  │    │  7-day      │    │  30-day     │    │             │  │
│  │  Campaign   │    │  suspension │    │  suspension │    │  No refund  │  │
│  │  paused     │    │  + Review   │    │  + Balance  │    │             │  │
│  │             │    │  required   │    │  forfeited  │    │             │  │
│  └─────────────┘    └─────────────┘    └─────────────┘    └─────────────┘  │
│                                                                              │
│  Expiration period: 12 months (if no new violations)                        │
│                                                                              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Violation Levels

🟢 Level 1: Minor Violations

Technical or good-faith violations that don’t cause significant harm.

Default consequence: Warning + Correction required (no strike)

Limit: After 5 minor violations in 30 days → Strike 1

🟡 Level 2: Moderate Violations

Violations causing limited harm or indicating negligence.

Default consequence: Strike + Campaign removed

🟠 Level 3: Serious Violations

Violations causing significant harm or indicating bad faith.

Default consequence: Strike 2 + 7-day suspension + Mandatory manual review

🔴 Level 4: Critical Violations

Violations resulting in immediate ban, no strike system.

Default consequence: Immediate ban + Balance forfeiture + Report to authorities (when applicable)

Consequence Details

Strike 1: Formal Warning

Duration: Permanent on record (expires in 12 months without new violations)

Actions:

• 📧 Notification email with violation details
• ⏸️ Violating campaign paused
• 📝 Required correction explanation
• 🔄 Campaign can be resubmitted after correction

Restrictions:

• New campaigns undergo manual review for 30 days

Strike 2: Temporary Suspension (7 days)

Duration: 7 days total suspension

Actions:

• 🔒 Account suspended (can’t create/edit campaigns)
• ⏸️ All campaigns paused
• 📧 Email with details and mandatory remediation plan
• 📞 Mandatory call with compliance team

Restrictions:

• Mandatory manual review for all campaigns for 90 days
• Budget limit reduced by 50%

To reactivate:

1. Wait 7 days
2. Complete compliance training (available in dashboard)
3. Sign updated commitment terms
4. Submit correction plan (if applicable)

Strike 3: Extended Suspension (30 days)

Duration: 30 days total suspension

Actions:

• 🔒 Account suspended
• ⏸️ All campaigns paused
• 💰 20% of credit balance forfeited as penalty
• 📧 Formal notification with final warning

Restrictions:

• Permanent manual review
• Maximum budget limited to $500/day
• No access to restricted categories

To reactivate:

1. Wait 30 days
2. Complete advanced compliance training
3. Provide additional guarantee (deposit + 100%)
4. Interview with compliance director
5. Approved compliance plan

Permanent Ban

Duration: Indefinite (no expiration)

Actions:

• 🚫 Account permanently deactivated
• 💰 100% of balance forfeited
• 📊 Campaign data retained for investigation (180 days)
• 🚷 Email, Tax ID, and domain blacklisted
• 📧 Formal notification

Additional consequences:

• Attempts to create new account = IP ban
• Legal action may be initiated in fraud cases
• Report to authorities in criminal cases
• Report to industry partners (industry blacklist)

Balance Forfeiture

Refund Process

For recoverable balances:

1. Request via Settings → Billing → Request Refund
2. Wait for processing (5-10 business days)
3. Receive via original payment method

Note: Processing fees (3%) are deducted from the refund.

Summary Table

Appeals Process

Appealable Violations

NOT Appealable Violations

• ❌ Child abuse content
• ❌ Terrorism/extreme violence
• ❌ Human trafficking
• ❌ Proven financial fraud with victims
• ❌ Third ban (repeat offense)

How to Appeal

1. Go to Dashboard → Settings → Appeals
2. Select the decision to contest
3. Provide detailed justification (max 2000 characters)
4. Attach supporting evidence (optional)
5. Wait for email response

Escalation

If the initial appeal is denied:

1. First escalation — Review by senior compliance officer (+5 days)
2. Second escalation — Review by compliance director (+7 days)
3. Final escalation — External arbitration panel (+14 days, $500 fee)

Protection Against Abuse

For Advertisers

To avoid undue penalties:

1. Maintain documentation of all ad claims
2. Review landing pages regularly to ensure consistency
3. Update categories if your business focus changes
4. Respond quickly to compliance requests
5. Use preview before publishing campaigns

For NotPixel

To ensure fair enforcement:

1. Two reviewers for any strike 2 or higher
2. Complete record of all decisions with justification
3. Quarterly audit of the enforcement system
4. Ongoing training for the compliance team
5. Transparency in annual enforcement reports

Annual Report

NotPixel publishes an annual enforcement report containing:

• Total accounts created vs. banned
• Violation distribution by category
• Appeal and reversal rates
• Average resolution time
• Implemented improvements

Latest report: Enforcement Report 2025

Compliance Contacts

Last updated: January 2026

Policy version: 2.1