To comply with U.S. and Canadian carrier regulations, certain types of content are not allowed in messages sent through DialLink. These restrictions apply regardless of whether you have customer consent. Below is a list of prohibited categories.
High-risk financial services
Payday loans
Short-term high-interest loans
New loan solicitations
Student loans
Cryptocurrency
Stocks and investment platforms
Third-party loans (e.g., auto or mortgage loans originated by one provider but managed or collected by a third party)
Third-party lead generation services
Companies, NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), or political campaigns that buy, sell, or share consumer information
Affiliate lending
Affiliate marketing
Deceptive marketing
Debt-related messaging
Debt collection or forgiveness
Debt consolidation, reduction, or relief
Credit or debt repair services
Third-party debt collection (“Third-party” means any entity other than the original creditor. Allowed: A hospital messaging its patients about outstanding bills, if proper consent is given. Not allowed: A debt collection agency sending messages on behalf of the hospital, unless the patient has explicitly opted in.)
Get-Rich-Quick schemes and misleading income opportunities
Deceptive work-from-home programs
High-risk investment opportunities
Pyramid schemes
Mystery shopping scams
Multi-level marketing (MLM)
This does not include legitimate employment outreach, investment news alerts, brokerages messaging their members, or other investment-related communications, if proper consent is obtained.
Illegal or regulated substances and related products or articles
Messaging related to the following substances or products is strictly prohibited, regardless of content, purpose, or regional legality. This includes all use cases, even two-factor authentication (2FA).
Cannabis (Cannabis is federally illegal in the U.S. Cannabis businesses are not permitted to use SMS/MMS messaging in the U.S. and Canada, regardless of message content.)
CBD (While CBD is federally legal, it is subject to varying legal restrictions across the U.S. As a result, the U.S. carriers do not allow messaging related to CBD.)
Fireworks (Fireworks are regulated products, and the U.S. and Canadian carriers do not permit messaging related to them.)
Kratom
Vape and E-cigarettes
Paraphernalia products
These restrictions apply to all number types (toll-free, local, short code) and across all industries, regardless of federal or state-level legality.
Prescription drugs
Any drugs that require a prescription
Medications not available over the counter in the U.S. or Canada
Gambling and betting content
Casino apps and platforms
Online gambling websites
Sweepstakes and contests
50/50 raffles
Betting tips and sports picks
Messaging related to gambling is prohibited in the U.S. and Canada across all number types, including toll-free and local numbers. Even informational or promotional messages related to gambling are not allowed, regardless of customer consent.
“S.H.A.F.T.” content (Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco)
Messaging that promotes or references any of the following is not allowed, following carrier guidelines:
Sexual content
Hate speech or hateful content
Alcohol *
Firearms and weapon-related content
Tobacco products
Vape and E-cigarettes
* Note. Alcohol-related messaging is allowed only on Toll-Free, Long Code, and Short Code numbers in the U.S., and only if proper age-gating is implemented (i.e., verifying that recipients are 21+ before messaging).