Captured before automated identity checks (Oct 14, 2026): accurate as of its capture on Apr 19, 2026; our capture on Oct 17, 2026 found the same text, but its identity was not checked by them.
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Companies change their terms without announcing it. We capture governance documents, compare each new version with the last, and publish what changed, with the source text behind it. One email a week on what we found and what we could not reach.
This page describes what the document states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability may vary by jurisdiction. Methodology
“you can't sell products that facilitate intentional self-harm.”
“When you build on Shopify with these principles in mind, we will give you notice, grant you opportunities to self-remediate conflicts, default to enforcement at the product level, and take account-level action as a last resort when appropriate.”
“certain business activities are not supported by our platform, such as uploading Protected Health Information subject to HIPAA.”
“Our agreements bind you as a merchant and explain the platform rules you must follow.”
“You can't use Shopify to do anything that's illegal where you do business.”
“The main rule for using Shopify is: you're responsible for following the rules of your platform, your partners, and the law.”
This policy sets out the rules merchants must follow to use Shopify, covering what they can sell, how they must behave, and what conduct is prohibited. Key limits include a ban on fraud, spam, violence threats, and products that facilitate self-harm, and Shopify will not support uploading health data regulated by HIPAA. Shopify generally acts against individual products first and takes action against an entire account only as a last resort.
Shopify's Acceptable Use Policy establishes the substantive obligations merchants must satisfy to use the platform, binding them contractually to Shopify's own rules, partner terms, and all applicable law in the jurisdictions where they operate. It prohibits a defined set of conduct including fraud against Shopify, other merchants, or buyers; spam and other malicious practices; calls for or threats of violence against specific people or groups; and the sale of products that facilitate intentional self-harm. The policy further excludes specific data categories from the platform entirely, notably Protected Health Information subject to HIPAA. Enforcement defaults to the product level, with account-level action reserved as a last resort when appropriate, and Shopify commits to providing notice and self-management tools when appropriate rather than as a universal guarantee.
As a merchant using Shopify, you are legally bound to follow Shopify's rules, the terms of any partners whose services you use, and the law wherever you do business. You cannot sell products that facilitate intentional self-harm, upload Protected Health Information to the platform, commit fraud against Shopify or other users, send spam, threaten violence against specific people or groups, or attempt to circumvent platform constraints. If Shopify identifies a problem, it will typically address the specific product first rather than your entire account, and when appropriate it will give you notice and tools to address issues yourself.
Which mapped governance frameworks each document engages, tied to the specific provisions that engage them.
We withheld clauses we had published from this document. Each withholding is recorded in our correction log:
“you can't sell products that facilitate intentional self-harm.”
“When you build on Shopify with these principles in mind, we will give you notice, grant you opportunities to self-remediate conflicts, default to enforcement at the product level, and take account-level action as a last resort when appropriate.”
“certain business activities are not supported by our platform, such as uploading Protected Health Information subject to HIPAA.”
“Our agreements bind you as a merchant and explain the platform rules you must follow.”
“You can't use Shopify to do anything that's illegal where you do business.”
“The main rule for using Shopify is: you're responsible for following the rules of your platform, your partners, and the law.”
“We also don't tolerate anyone defrauding Shopify, other merchants, or buyers, using Shopify as a platform to send spam, or for other malicious practices.”
“using Shopify as a platform to send spam, or for other malicious practices”
“you can't call for, or threaten, violence against specific people or groups.”
“we'll give you notice and tools to self-manage your risks and disputes when appropriate.”
“We don't like to see people try to "game" systems to avoid constraints they don't agree with.”
“If you use these services, you need to respect how the supply chain works and what terms are asked of you.”
Every distinct legal provision identified in this document. Featured provisions appear above with analysis.
We have not recorded a change to this document since we began capturing it. Monitor includes alerts from a daily check, structured change summaries, and monitoring for up to 20 platforms.
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Cross-platform context
See how other platforms handle Ban On Self-Harm Facilitating Products and similar clauses.
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