Glossary
What is a sponsored placement?
Paid positioning that is bought rather than earned, and which must be labelled as such.
A sponsored placement is a slot an operator has paid for directly, as distinct from a position produced by editorial assessment.
Why it matters
The problem in this category is not that sponsorship exists — it is that it is routinely presented as a ranking. A “top 10” ordered by payout rate, with no disclosure, is an advertisement wearing the costume of a review. Our position is that a sponsored placement is labelled, kept visually distinct, excluded from any ranking or comparison, and never described as a review. If you cannot tell from a page whether a position was bought, treat the whole list as advertising.