What is SHAFT (Sex Hate Alcohol Firearms Tobacco)?
Per the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA), there is a major rule commonly referred to as SHAFT. It means that content related to sex, hate, alcohol, firearms and/or tobacco in any message is one of the top carrier violations and could cause an immediate ban.
While that sounds fairly absolute, there are a few exceptions to the SHAFT rule. For example, a bar owner could still send text messages about happy hour specials, but those must send through a dedicated toll-free number with an age-gate that prevents anyone younger than 21 years old from signing up.
As it relates to SMS marketing, content that falls under SHAFT is not allowed.
