Housing, Employment, and Credit ("HEC") Ad Policy

Last updated: September 2024

This policy is designed to protect our users and will be enforced to help prevent the use of our platform in a discriminatory manner.


Any advertiser based in the United States or Canada OR any advertiser targeting the United States or Canada for housing, employment, and/or credit ads, may not use discriminatory targeting.


In the United States and Canada, housing, employment, and credit ads cannot target audiences using the following categories:

  • Age

  • Gender

  • Zip code

  • Marital or parental status 

  • Any options describing or appearing to relate to protected characteristics (this may include key words that have a high correlation to protected categories)

Advertisers based in the United States or Canada that post housing, employment, and/or credit ads must disclose that these ads are HEC using the Special Ad Category Toggle, which removes these targeting options automatically, to help protect our users on TikTok from unlawful discrimination.


Advertisers NOT based in the United States or Canada that are targeting the United States and/or Canada with housing, employment, and/or credit ads must not target using the categories listed above in order to protect our users on TikTok from unlawful discrimination.


This HEC Ad Policy is in addition to existing Anti-Discrimination Ad Policy that prohibits unlawful discrimination, including without limitation, through the use of Custom Audiences or the use of other tools and audiences available on our platform.


What are Housing, Employment, and Credit ("HEC") ads?

Here are some examples of what may constitute an HEC ad:

  • Housing: Any ad that promotes a housing product, service, or opportunity, including but not limited to rental or sale listings, realtor services, homeowners insurance, mortgage insurance, mortgage loans, or property appraisal services. This excludes ads aimed at educating the public about their legal rights under fair housing laws in their region. 

  • Employment: Any ad that promotes an employment opportunity, including but not limited to part or full-time jobs, freelance or “gig job” listings, recruiting opportunities, internships, accredited certification programs, job fairs, or employment-seeking services.

  • Credit: Any ad that promotes a credit opportunity, including but not limited to credit card offers, personal loans, educational loans, business loans, mortgage loans, auto loans, and any other loans.