Acceptable use policy

People trust a link before they know where it leads. This policy protects that trust. It applies to every link, QR code, destination URL, custom domain, logo and API request on Forkly, and to everyone who uses the Service. It forms part of our Terms of Service.

You must not create, share or redirect to content that:

• Phishing and credential theft — imitates a bank, app store, login page, delivery service or any other organisation to collect passwords, payment details, one-time codes or personal data.
• Malware — distributes viruses, ransomware, spyware, trojans, cryptominers, stalkerware or potentially unwanted software, or triggers downloads without clear user intent.
• Fraud and scams — including fake giveaways, investment or crypto schemes, fake app listings, counterfeit goods and advance-fee fraud.
• Impersonation — misrepresents your identity or falsely suggests affiliation with another person, brand or public body.
• Illegal content — including child sexual abuse material (which we report to the relevant authorities), content that facilitates the sale of illegal goods or services, and content that infringes intellectual property rights.
• Violence and hate — incites violence, promotes terrorism, or harasses or dehumanises people based on protected characteristics.
• Non-consensual intimate imagery and sexually explicit content involving anyone who has not consented.
• Privacy violations — exposes someone’s private information without consent (doxxing).

• Spam: sending links in unsolicited bulk messages, comment spam, SEO spam or messages that violate anti-spam laws such as CAN-SPAM and the ePrivacy Directive.
• Cloaking and evasion: showing reviewers or security scanners different content from real visitors, rotating destinations to evade detection, or chaining redirects to hide the final destination.
• Redirect loops and open redirects: pointing links at other link shorteners or back at Forkly to disguise their destination.
• Platform abuse: creating accounts in bulk, circumventing plan limits, rate limits or suspensions, or probing, scanning or attacking our infrastructure.
• Deceptive QR codes: placing QR codes over legitimate ones (for example on parking meters or menus) or otherwise tricking people into scanning them.
• Domain misuse: connecting domains you do not own or that imitate other brands.

Some legitimate content carries elevated risk — for example gambling, adult content, pharmaceuticals, weapons, and financial or cryptocurrency offers. It is allowed only where lawful in the visitor’s jurisdiction, clearly labelled, and compliant with the rules of the platforms and app stores you link to. We may require additional verification or decline to host such links.

• Destination URLs are checked when links are created or changed, including against blocklists of known malicious hosts.
• Links that point back into Forkly or to hostnames blocked by our team cannot be saved.
• Deleted slugs are quarantined for 30 days so they cannot be re-registered to hijack printed QR codes.
• Links reported by several independent people are automatically flagged for priority review.

If we believe this policy has been violated, we may, at our discretion and without prior notice:

• suspend or disable individual links, showing visitors a warning instead of the destination;
• disable custom domains;
• suspend or close workspaces and accounts, and revoke API keys and sessions;
• block destination hostnames platform-wide; and
• report illegal activity to law enforcement or relevant authorities and cooperate with lawful requests.

Accounts closed for serious or repeated violations are not eligible for refunds. We consider context, severity and history when deciding what action to take.

If you find a Forkly link that breaks this policy, please report it here. Include the full link and, if possible, where you found it. You can report anonymously or leave an email address so we can follow up.

For legal notices, intellectual property complaints or law enforcement requests, email support@forkly.dev.

If you believe we suspended a link or account in error, contact support@forkly.dev from the email address on the account, explaining why the content complies with this policy. We review appeals promptly and restore access where appropriate.

We may update this policy as threats evolve. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last changed.