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Manifesto — Ethical Affiliate Marketing Principles

Why we reject paid rankings and build an alternative based on data, transparency, and open source.

The Problem

The affiliate review industry is a dumpster.

Sites that call themselves “review platforms” are ad showcases. They show whoever pays the most. Rankings are bought. Reviews are fabricated. The internet is flooded with garbage written for search algorithms, not for people.

We refuse to participate in this.


Our Position

1. Data Over Money

Rankings based on metrics, not ad budgets. You can’t buy a position. Period.

Product is bad — we say it’s bad. Competitor is better — we show it. Data speaks, we listen.

2. Radical Transparency

We open everything we can:

  • Code — on GitHub
  • Data — available for verification
  • Methodology — documented
  • Revenue sources — disclosed

Closed systems breed corruption. Transparency breeds trust.

3. Community as Foundation

We’re not a corporation issuing pronouncements from above. We’re a community of people who believe in what they’re doing.

Anyone can:

  • Suggest corrections
  • Add information
  • Improve tools
  • Challenge our conclusions with evidence

Collective knowledge beats any editorial team.

4. White-Hat Only

We work exclusively within legal and ethical boundaries:

  • White-hat promotion — no manipulation, no cloaking, no deception
  • Legal data collection — legitimate methods only
  • No black-hat tactics — no fake reviews, no bot traffic
  • Respect for privacy — collect minimum, handle responsibly

Short-term tricks lead to long-term problems. We build for permanence.

5. Quality Over Quantity

We refuse to pollute the internet. Every piece of content must:

  • Provide real value to the reader
  • Be based on research and data
  • Maintain integrity regardless of affiliate relationships
  • Be something we’re proud to put our name on

Doesn’t meet these standards — doesn’t get published.

6. Affiliate Marketing as Freedom

Affiliate marketing is a legitimate path to financial independence. An alternative to traditional employment.

Done right, it:

  • Helps people find better products
  • Rewards honest recommendations
  • Enables location-independent income
  • Frees you from employer dependency

We’re here to show this path doesn’t require compromising your ethics.


What We Reject

PracticeWhy It’s Harmful
Paid rankingsDeceives people who think they’re getting objective advice
Fake reviewsDestroys trust in all online recommendations
Content farmsPollutes search results and wastes people’s time
Black-hat SEODegrades the internet for everyone
Data manipulationMakes informed decisions impossible

Commitments

  1. Accuracy over revenue
  2. Openness in tools and data
  3. Accept community contributions
  4. Work only within ethical and legal boundaries
  5. Never sacrifice quality for quantity
  6. Be honest about limitations and mistakes
  7. Evolve when we find better methods

Join

If these principles resonate:

  • Use our platforms — let us prove our value
  • Contribute — help improve data and tools
  • Verify — call us out if we stray from principles
  • Spread the word — the more people demand transparency, the harder it is to offer less