Telephone carriers prohibit sending the following types of content over their systems and reserve the right to amend their list of prohibited content at any time.

Prohibited content

• Unlawful, obscene, profane, threatening, libelous, slanderous, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable
• Facilitates an illegal activity
• Sexually explicit content or language
• False, misleading, or likely to mislead or deceive (including, without limitation, information that relates to the source or the author of the message)
• Violates any intellectual property rights or any other rights of any person or entity
• Invades any person's privacy
• Unlawfully promotes or incites hatred (including, without limitation, any transmissions that constitute or encourage conduct that constitute a criminal offense, that give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any applicable law)
• Contains any spamming, flooding element, advertising, marketing, promotional, information, solicitation, chain letters, pyramid schemes, investment opportunities, schemes, or other unsolicited messages, contents or information except with the prior consent of Velti, carrier(s), and the handset users
• Content of the alert directly promotes the consumption of alcohol (beer, wine, liquor, and other related beverages). For example, sending mobile users a coupon for an alcoholic beverage is prohibited. However, companies who offer alcoholic beverages can send a message that informs the subscriber of a product containing alcohol, such as a new vintage of wine.

Note: The vendor must have a functioning age gate for subscribers. No age-gate results in a SHAFT violation, which is an immediate suspension of the short code by the carriers.

• Tobacco-related (cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco, and other tobacco products)
• Guns/weapons-related (firearms, bullets, and other weaponry)
• Illegal drugs-related (marijuana, cocaine, and other controlled substances)
• Pornographic-related (adult themes, sexual content, and other pornographic content)
• Crime-related (organized crime, notorious characters, and other criminal-related content)
• Violence-related (certain games, and other violence-related content)
• Death-related (funeral homes, mortuaries, and other death-related content)
• Gambling-related (casinos, lotteries, and other gambling-related content)
• Carrier competitor-related (for example, providers of telecommunication services, providers of comparison shopping for telecommunications services, and other services)
• Involves a copy or parody of current or past carrier products or services
• Involves an implied affiliation, association or endorsement by, or favored status with, any carrier
• High-risk financial offers banned on shared short codes
• Loan origination and matching: You will need a dedicated short code for this type of program. Carriers are unlikely to approve this campaign type unless the brand is well-recognized.
• Payday, short-term, auto, mortgage, and student loans: You will need a dedicated short code for this type of program. Carriers are unlikely to approve these campaign types unless the brand is well-recognized.
• Debt consolidation and reduction
• Investment opportunities
• Credit repair programs
• Tax relief programs
• Work from home programs