The marketing changes announced this week lend themselves to Facebook merging the rules for pages and advertising into one set of terms.
The updated terms really reflect the move to timeline, which will impel brands to purchase more ads.
One set of rules about pages has already gotten a lot of attention in the coverage of the move to timeline: you can’t use the cover image as an explicit advertisement.
Facebook notes that when you turn content from a page post into an advertisement, the result becomes subject to both the page terms and ad guidelines — although, since they’re a merged entity, the preceding part of this sentence is kind of redundant.
Another change: Facebook won’t allow generic terms for page names. We didn’t know there were any of them left, or unclaimed.
That said, here are the official terms for pages and promotions on Facebook, including links to related sets of rules on the site.
Facebook Pages Terms
The following terms, as well as our data use policy and statement of rights and responsibilities, apply to all pages on Facebook. Additionally, all content on pages must comply with our community standards.
I. General
A. Only authorized representatives may administer a page for a brand, entity (place or organization), or public figure.
B. Any user may create a page to express support for or interest in a brand, entity (place or organization), or public figure, provided that it is not likely to be confused with an official page or violate someone’s rights.
C. Content posted to a page is public and viewable by everyone who can see the page.
D. You are required to restrict access to pages (through our gating functionality) as necessary to comply with applicable laws and Facebook policies, including our advertising guidelines and community standards.
E. You may not establish terms for your Page that conflict with our statement of rights and responsibilities, data use policy or these terms.
II. Page Management
A. Page Names and Facebook Web Addresses
Page names and Facebook web addresses must accurately reflect page content. We may remove administrative rights or require you to change the page name and Facebook web address for any page that fails to meet this requirement.
Page names must:
i. not consist solely generic terms (e.g., “beer” or “pizza”);
ii. use proper, grammatically correct capitalization and may not include all capitals, except for acronyms;
iii. not include character symbols, such as excessive punctuation and trademark designations; and
iv. not include superfluous descriptions or unnecessary qualifiers.
B. Name Changes and Migrations
We will only process name changes and migrations that do not result in a misleading or unintended connection. For example, we will allow local to global migrations, such as “Facebook France” to “Facebook”, but will not allow global to local migrations, or location to location migrations, such as “Facebook France” to “Facebook Russia.” Additionally, you may not request a name change or migration that would result in re-categorizing a product page to a brand Page, a generic or opinion page to a brand page, or a group to a page. All migrations are at our discretion and are final.
C. Collection of Data
If you collect content and information directly from users, you will make it clear that you (and not Facebook) are collecting it, and you will provide notice about and obtain user consent for your use of the content and information that you collect. Regardless of how you obtain content and information from users, you are responsible for securing all necessary permissions to reuse their content and information.
You will not collect users’ content or information, or otherwise access Facebook, using automated means (such as harvesting bots, robots, spiders, or scrapers) without our permission.
Any data you obtain from us must comply with Section II of our Facebook platform policies.
III. Page Features
A. Advertising on Pages
Ads and commercial content (including page post content) are subject to the advertising guidelines.
Third-party advertisements on pages are prohibited.
B. Cover
All covers are public. This means that anyone who visits your page will be able to see your cover. Covers can’t be deceptive, misleading, or infringe on anyone else’s copyright. You may not encourage people to upload your cover to their personal timelines.
Covers may not include:
i. price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “download it on socialmusic.com”;
ii. contact information such as a website address, email, mailing address, or information that should go in your page’s “about” section;
iii. references to Facebook features or actions, such as “like” or “share” or an arrow pointing from the cover photo to any of these features; or
iv. calls to action, such as “get it now” or “tell your friends.”
C. Applications on Pages
Apps on your page must comply with the Facebook platform policies.
D. Offers
Facebook may not be a suitable place for every type of offer, and you are solely responsible for determining if Facebook is the appropriate forum for your offer. If you create an offer using Facebook’s offer creation tool, the following policies apply:
i. You are responsible for ensuring that your offer complies with these terms and all applicable laws, rules and regulations. Offers are subject to many regulations (such as alcohol discounts and offers marketed to minors) and if you are not certain that your offer complies with applicable law, consult with an expert.
ii. If there are any restrictions on your offer (such as expiration date or limitations on redemption), you must disclose those restrictions to users in the terms and conditions section of the offer.
iii. You are solely responsible for improper redemption, fraud or other issues that arise from the distribution and/or redemption of your offer.
iv. If your offer may be redeemed at a merchant not operated by you, it is your sole responsibility to communicate with the participating merchant.
v. You must not use Facebook’s offer creator to offer the equivalent of a gift card, gift certificate or stored value card.
E. Promotions
If you use Facebook to communicate about or administer a promotion (such as a contest or sweepstakes), you are responsible for the lawful operation of that promotion, including the official rules, offer terms and eligibility requirements (e.g., age and residency restrictions), and compliance with regulations governing the promotion and all prizes offered in connection with the promotion (e.g., registration and obtaining necessary regulatory approvals). Please note that compliance with these guidelines does not constitute the lawfulness of a promotion. Promotions are subject to many regulations and if you are not certain that your promotion complies with applicable law, please consult with an expert.
i. Promotions on Facebook must be administered within apps on Facebook.com, either on a canvas page or a page app.
ii. Promotions on Facebook must include the following:
a. A complete release of Facebook by each entrant or participant.
b. Acknowledgment that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.
c. Disclosure that the participant is providing information to [disclose recipient(s) of information] and not to Facebook.
iii. You must not condition registration or entry upon the user taking any action using any Facebook features or functionality other than liking a page, checking in to a place, or connecting to your app. For example, you must not condition registration or entry upon the user liking a wall post, or commenting or uploading a photo on a Wall.
iv. You must not use Facebook features or functionality as a promotion’s registration or entry mechanism. For example, the act of liking a Page or checking in to a Place cannot automatically register or enter a promotion participant.
v. You must not use Facebook features or functionality, such as the like button, as a voting mechanism for a promotion.
vi. You must not notify winners through Facebook, such as through Facebook messages, chat, or posts on profiles (timelines) or pages.
vii. Definitions:
a. By “administration” we mean the operation of any element of the promotion, such as collecting entries, conducting a drawing, judging entries, or notifying winners.
b. By “communication” we mean promoting, advertising or referencing a promotion in any way on Facebook, e.g., in ads, on a page, or in a wall post.
We reserve the right to reject or remove pages for any reason. These terms are subject to change at any time.
Amended pages terms for state and local governments in the United States.
