The "block" user account is a function available on every end-user's section:
Manage > Users > click on the user's email to access the profile > Flags
- This action has to be followed by a comment indicating the reason for the blocking and the case number for internal reference.
- The information is also visible to the Admin and Sepulchral Silence team from Manage > Users > Profile:
What happens when an end-user account is blocked?
- The user is not able to access their account.
- The user royalties are reported to the Admin but held on escrow.
Why are the royalties held in escrow?
The royalties will be held in escrow in order to be able to respond in the following situations:
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- The client proves their account is not fraudulent (royalties will be paid to the Admin and made available to the user).
- Claims from the stores, asking for a refund of the royalties in case it becomes clear that they have been paid to fraud accounts.
- Claims from legitimate rights holders, claiming the payout of the royalties that have been retained plus royalties that already have been paid via Admins to the clients that have opened the fraud accounts.
When is an account marked as blocked?
Click fraud is an upward trend. Based on a match between (historic) sales data, artist profile data, and information retrieved from social networks, content can be marked by channels as fraudulent content.
Generally, this is content that has generated plays through the use of bots, fake user accounts, unauthorised use of artist names or otherwise fraudulent means. This is in conflict with the content distribution contracts with the channels and therefore, can give rise to a breach of contract. In order to limit the risks caused by this kind of fraud, Administrators or the Sepulchral Silence Operations team can Block accounts.
Generally, accounts are blocked when one or more of the following factors are detected:
- One PayPal email address is linked to several users on the platform.
- A client has entered a fake postal address.
- Inconsistent IP activity versus the declared country of origin on the client profile.
- An account contains releases from unknown artists which are generating a considerable amount of streams or YouTube views and subsequently, revenues in a short period of time, without a fanbase (listeners or viewers) to support this.
- Any sudden uplift in sales without corresponding numbers in profile views or social networks to support this.
- A release containing compound artist names, using (a mix of) well-known artist names.
- An account generates royalties but does not have any detailed customer information and the client refuses to provide this information.
Blocking a user is a way to protect your business from fraudulent activities and abusive behaviours that can compromise your relationship with DSPs and with Sepulchral Silence.
Sepulchral Silence Operations team works daily with channels to monitor these cases and when necessary to apply strikes and blocks as required by the channels and the Anti-fraud policy (available at /about/anti_fraud) that all Users, as well as Admins, accept the first time they access to the platform.
How is the admin notified?
When the Sepulchral Silence team blocks a User account, the Admin will be duly informed via ticket.
- The ticket is meant to better inform and explain to the Admin the reason for the Block and to follow up on the case. It is an official communication from Sepulchral Silence related to the Anti-fraud policy and there is a need to at least investigate the case.
- Ticket ID and the Anti-fraud will be also indicated in the "Comments" section next to the block/strike indication.
What action is restricted for admins?
When a user is blocked by the Sepulchral Silence team, it is forbidden for the Admin to unblock it.
- The block can be activated by the Admin as well as Sepulchral Silence Operations Team. On the other side, if the block has been performed by Sepulchral Silence, the unlock can be managed only by the Sepulchral Silence team.
- Unblocking a user blocked by the Sepulchral Silence team is a dangerous behaviour that can put at risk your service, as well as Sepulchral Silence's.
- On the other hand, it is important that if you consider the User has to be unlocked, to answer back to the ticket opened by the Sepulchral Silence team and provide the requested follow up. This is the way to make the resolution as quick and as smooth as possible.
- Unblocking a User without an agreed and accepted reason by the Sepulchral Silence team that decided the block is a behaviour .
- This option is for Sepulchral Silence internal use only. A misuse could mean a stop in the generation of royalties for your End-users, among other consequences.