Social media policies & risks
Reminder: Social platforms enforce their own rules independently of OnLynk. Our tools reduce friction and risk — they cannot guarantee approval.
Overview
Section titled “Overview”When you share an onlynk.me link on social media, that platform’s terms of service, community guidelines, and automated enforcement apply. A violation can lead to content removal, reduced reach, or account suspension — independent of anything OnLynk does.
You are responsible for:
- The destination behind your links
- The accuracy and legality of what you promote
- Staying current with each platform’s policies (they change frequently)
OnLynk cannot be held responsible for enforcement actions taken by third-party platforms.
How OnLynk reduces (but doesn’t eliminate) risk
Section titled “How OnLynk reduces (but doesn’t eliminate) risk”| OnLynk feature | How it helps |
|---|---|
| Landing page | Automated scrapers see your branded onlynk.me page, not the destination directly |
| Link cloaking | Hides the destination URL from the visible link, reducing automated classification |
| AI Shield | Serves bot-appropriate content to platform crawlers, human content to real visitors |
| Geo-restrictions | Restricts visibility by region if your content is only compliant in certain markets |
None of these are guarantees — they are risk-reduction tools.
Platform-by-platform policies
Section titled “Platform-by-platform policies”Instagram’s Community Guidelines and Terms of Use restrict categories including: adult content, misleading promotions, counterfeit goods, gambling, regulated substances, and financial scams.
- Automated link-scanning bans sensitive domains
- DM link sharing is monitored for spam patterns
- Stories and bio links are scanned independently
→ Instagram Community Guidelines
→ Instagram Terms of Use
TikTok
Section titled “TikTok”TikTok restricts links in bios to approved categories and blocks many affiliate and adult-adjacent networks entirely.
- Bio links are reviewed more strictly than content links
- TikTok’s in-app browser scans link destinations
- Shortened or cloaked URLs do not always bypass their detection
→ TikTok Community Guidelines
→ TikTok Terms of Service
X (Twitter)
Section titled “X (Twitter)”X enforces policies on spam, sensitive content, and misleading promotions. Links may be flagged or blocked at the platform level, making them unclickable even if your account isn’t suspended.
- Automated “link blacklisting” happens at the platform level
- High-velocity link sharing (same URL, many posts) increases risk
- Protected links (behind a redirect) are not immune to classification
→ The X Rules
→ X Terms of Service
Facebook / Meta
Section titled “Facebook / Meta”Facebook applies its most aggressive link scanning of all major platforms. Links to affiliate products, health supplements, financial services, and similar categories are frequently restricted.
- Facebook’s “Link Quality” system assigns trust scores to domains
- New or low-traffic domains are treated with more suspicion
- Posting the same link in multiple groups or pages in a short time triggers spam detection
→ Facebook Community Standards
→ Facebook Terms of Service
Threads
Section titled “Threads”Threads (by Meta) shares its enforcement infrastructure with Instagram. The same destination restrictions apply, and enforcement may be more aggressive on newer accounts.
→ Threads Supplemental Privacy Policy
LinkedIn restricts promotional and affiliate links especially in messages and comments. B2B and professional services are generally fine; consumer affiliate and adult content are not.
- InMail link sharing is monitored for spam
- Posts with high-engagement links in unusual patterns may be downranked
→ LinkedIn User Agreement
→ LinkedIn Professional Community Policies
YouTube
Section titled “YouTube”YouTube descriptions and community posts allow external links, but links to certain categories (adult, gambling, regulated substances) are restricted.
- Links in video descriptions are generally permissive for safe destinations
- Community post links are reviewed more carefully
- YouTube’s in-app browser is used when links are opened from the app on mobile
→ YouTube Community Guidelines
→ YouTube Terms of Service
Best practices to reduce risk
Section titled “Best practices to reduce risk”- Use a landing page for sensitive destinations — never direct-link to affiliate, adult, or regulated destinations
- Avoid link velocity spikes — posting the same OnLynk URL across 50 groups in one hour is a spam signal
- Use link cloaking — hides the destination from automated pre-fetch
- Keep your domain reputation clean — if your custom domain gets flagged on one platform, it affects all platforms
- Monitor your reach — a sudden drop in post visibility (without reduced content quality) often signals a link restriction
- Diversify destinations — don’t put all traffic through a single direct-link URL across all platforms simultaneously
- Check compliance before posting — verify your destination is allowed under OnLynk’s acceptable use policy and each platform’s policy
Related
Section titled “Related”- Compliance & acceptable use — Categories of destinations prohibited on OnLynk itself
- Direct link — When to use a landing page vs a direct redirect
- AI Shield — Bot and crawler handling
- Link cloaking — How cloaking works