Acceptable Use Policy
Introduction
By utilizing the services provided by Us, You agree to comply with and be bound by the terms outlined in this Acceptable Use Policy, as part of our comprehensive Terms and Conditions.
Adherence to both the spirit and the letter of this policy is expected. Terms defined in our Terms and Conditions retain their meaning within this Acceptable Use Policy.
1 Prohibited Uses
1.1 Use of Service
You may use our site or the services we provide only for lawful purposes. You may not use our site or services:
- In any way that breaches any applicable local, national or international law or regulation.
- In any way that is unlawful or fraudulent, or has any unlawful or fraudulent purpose or effect.
- For the purpose of harming or attempting to harm minors in any way.
- To transmit, or procure the sending of, any unsolicited or unauthorised advertising or promotional material or any other form of similar solicitation (spam).
- To knowingly transmit any data, send or upload any material that contains viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time-bombs, keystroke loggers, spyware, adware or any other harmful programs or similar computer code designed to adversely affect the operation of any computer software or hardware.
- To send, knowingly receive, upload, download, use or re-use any material which:
- is defamatory of any person.
- is obscene, offensive, hateful or inflammatory.
- promotes sexually explicit material.
- promotes violence.
- promotes discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age.
- infringes any copyright, database right, trade mark or other intellectual property right of any other person.
- is likely to deceive any person.
- is made in breach of any legal duty owed to a third party such as a contractual duty or a duty of confidence.
- promotes any illegal activity.
- is threatening, abusive or invades another’s privacy, or causes annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety;
- is likely to harass, upset, embarrass, alarm or annoy any other person.
- advertises for sale substances that are legal in law but are known to be abused.
- is used to impersonate any person, or to misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person; or gives the impression that it emanate from us if this is not the case.
1.2 Misuse of Service
You also agree not to access without authority, interfere with, damage or disrupt:
• any part of our site;
• any equipment or network on which our site is stored;
• any software used in the provision of our site; or
• any equipment or network or software owned or used by any third party.
1.3 Security Vetting
You may not register for an account with us or sign up or use our services for the purposes of testing or vetting security measures in any way or format without our express written consent to do so.
2. Resource Usage
2.1 Purpose of Web Hosting Space
The web hosting space provided is intended solely for hosting the files necessary for displaying your website. All content uploaded or stored must be intended for this use, visible, and accessible to visitors of your website.
2.2 Hosting Plan Specifications
- Unlimited Usage Plans: Certain Hippo Hosting plans may offer unmetered bandwidth, disk space, and the number of hosted websites. "unmetered" refers to the absence of predefined limits for these resources, subject to the conditions set out in this policy and our general terms of service.
- Inode Limits: For Linux hosting plans, the maximum number of inodes (index nodes, which represent files and directories) is capped at 250,000 per account.
- Resource Allocation: Each hosting plan has specific resource allocations. If your website’s usage exceeds these allocations, service performance may be impacted, potentially resulting in slower load times or an interruption in content delivery. Additional resources can be made available subject to additional fees.
2.3 WordPress Hosting Plans
- Optimized Systems: WordPress Hosting plans are hosted on systems tailored for WordPress. These plans must be used exclusively for hosting WordPress sites.
- Content Compliance: If a WordPress Hosting plan is used to host non-WordPress content, we will issue a warning, and you may be asked to remove the content or switch to a suitable hosting plan.
2.4 Account Upgrades
- Resource Impact: Should your website’s usage threaten the stability, performance, or uptime of our servers or infrastructure, we reserve the right to require an account upgrade or take necessary actions to mitigate the risks.
2.5 Bandwidth Usage and Overage Charges
- Predefined Bandwidth: Our Non-Shared Plans and nfrastructure come with predetermined bandwidth limits based on the selected package.
- Overage Charges: It is crucial to choose a package with adequate bandwidth for your needs. Bandwidth usage beyond the allocated amount will incur an overage charge (see additional charges below) per GB per month.
3. Website Content
3.1 Acceptable Use of Hosting Space
The web hosting space provided by US is expressly for the purpose of hosting content for your website. It must not be utilized as a general storage space for files unrelated to your website's operation.
3.2 Prohibited Content
You are prohibited from using the hosting service to store, share, or distribute the following types of content:
- Illegally Obtained Material: This includes 'warez', pirated software, or any other illegal copies of works.
- Copyrighted Music: Unauthorised MP3s or audio formats of copyrighted music are not permitted.
- Illegal Downloads: Movies, software, or other material that is downloaded illegally, whether in full or in part, are prohibited.
- Pornographic Material: Content that is pornographic or explicit in nature is forbidden.
- Unlawful Content: Any content that contravenes UK or European law is strictly barred.
- Image Hosting Scripts: Scripts allowing anonymous users to upload images for external use are not allowed.
- Banner Advertising Services: Commercial banner ad rotation services for external sites or devices are prohibited.
- File Dump/Mirror Scripts: Services that allow anonymous file uploads for public download are not permitted.
- Commercial Audio Streaming: Streaming of more than one or two audio streams for commercial purposes is not allowed.
- Mail Scripts: Push button mail scripts for end-users to send emails to recipients without authorization are banned.
- SMS Gateways: Anonymous or bulk SMS gateways are prohibited.
- Backup Storage: The hosting space may not be used for backups of content from other systems.
- BitTorrent Trackers: Hosting or linking to BitTorrent trackers is forbidden.
- Resource-Intensive Scripts: Any script that impairs the performance of our servers or network is not allowed.
3.3 Enforcement Actions
Should any hosted content violate these terms, We reserve the right to:
- Notice: Issue a notice to the customer regarding the violation.
- Suspension: Suspend the hosting service until the violation is rectified.
- Removal: Remove any files that do not comply with these terms.
- Reporting: Reporting to any relevant authority or law enforcement agency
4. Excessive Use of Resources or Network Abuse
4.1 Fair Use of Resources
The services provided by US are intended for fair and reasonable use. Customers must not use an excessive amount of server or network resources that could lead to server performance issues or disrupt service for other customers.
4.2 Prohibited Activities
Engaging in activities that result in excessive consumption or abuse of network resources is strictly prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Anonymous Proxy Servers: You may not host or link to any anonymous proxy servers, as they can lead to network abuse.
- File Sharing Sites: Operating sites that facilitate the sharing of files in a manner that violates copyright laws or places undue burden on our resources is not allowed.
- Resource-Intensive Scripts: Scripts or processes that have an adverse impact on our systems are prohibited.
- IRC Software: Utilizing software that connects to Internet Relay Chat (IRC) networks and causes network strain is forbidden.
4.3 Mitigation and Consequences
Should your resource utilization result in a negative impact on our servers or network, We reserve the right to:
- Throttle Resources: Limit the amount of server or network resources available to your services.
- Suspension of Services: Temporarily suspend your services until the excessive use issue is resolved.
- Termination of Services: Permanently terminate services if repeated violations occur.
5. Unauthorised System Access
5.1 Restricted Actions
You are prohibited from unauthorised access, use, or interference with any network or system. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Unauthorised Network Access: You may not access any network or system without explicit permission. Prohibited activities include probing or scanning for vulnerabilities and breaching security or authentication measures.
- Network Attacks: You must not engage in activities that attack other networks, such as deploying botnets for Denial of Service (DoS) attacks or similar disruptive actions.
- Interception and Monitoring: Intercepting or monitoring data without proper authorization is strictly forbidden.
- Automated Devices and Scripts: The use of deep-link, page-scrape, robots, crawlers, spiders, offline readers, click spam, macro programs, internet agents, or any automated device or method to access, copy, affect, or monitor any part of Hipposerve’s website or servers without authorization is prohibited.
5.2 Consequences of Violation
Violation of these terms may result in immediate suspension or termination of your services. Additionally, We may take any necessary legal action against you for unauthorized system or network access.
6. Storage of Backups
6.1 Purpose of Hosting Services
The hosting services provided by Us are specifically designed for web hosting purposes. Customers are prohibited from using their hosting account as a general data storage solution or for backup purposes unrelated to the hosted website.
6.2 Prohibited Use as Backup Storage
- Backup Limitations: Hosting accounts may not be utilized to store backups of content from computers, other websites, or any data not directly related to the website's functionality hosted on the account.
- Right to Remove Backups: Hipposerve Digital Services Limited reserves the unilateral right to remove any data stored in violation of this policy, which is deemed to be for backup purposes, with or without prior notice to the customer.
7. Mass Mailing
7.1 Prohibition of Mass Mailing
Users of Our shared hosting packages are strictly prohibited from engaging in mass mailing activities. Mass mailing can lead to server overload, degrade mail server performance, and negatively impact Our IP reputation.
7.2 Consequences of Unauthorized Mass Mailing
- Fines and Suspensions: Any user found to be sending mass mail, causing disruption or damage to Hipposerve's mail servers or IP reputation, will face immediate fines and suspension of their domain and services. The fines are structured as follows:
- An administration charge (see additional charges below) per hour will be imposed on users whose actions or inactions necessitate cleanup activities by Hipposerve to restore mail server functionality.
- Users causing IP blacklisting through their activities will be charged An administration fee (see additional charges below) output_type="simple"], to cover the costs and technician time of IP clean up.
- An administration charge (see additional charges below) will be levied on users whose services result in complaints from external entities, such as spamcop, AOL, Yahoo, etc., to cover administrative costs incurred by Hipposerve in addressing these complaints.
7.3 Responsibility for Email Conduct
Users are responsible for ensuring that their email activities conform to acceptable standards and do not infringe upon the operational integrity of Our services. This includes avoiding actions that could lead to spamming, IP blacklisting, or other harmful consequences.
8. Database Management and Usage
8.1 Resource Utilization and Limitations
Customers are expected to manage their database usage to prevent excessive consumption of server resources, which could negatively affect service quality for themselves or other customers. Specific limitations include:
- A maximum of 1,000 tables per database.
- A storage limit of no more than one gigabyte per database.
8.2 Monitoring and Compliance
- Customer Responsibility: The responsibility to monitor database usage and ensure compliance with these limits falls solely on the customer. Databases must be actively used and maintained in conjunction with a website hosted on our services.
8.3 Exceeding Usage Limits
- Suspension for Overuse: Databases exceeding the specified usage limits may be subject to immediate suspension pending customer action to address the overuse.
- Reinstatement: Suspended services may be reinstated upon request after the customer has taken necessary remedial action to bring database usage within acceptable limits.
8.4 Administrative Fees and Additional Charges
- Non-compliance: Failure to remediate excessive database usage following suspension may result in an administrative fee of [main_price pid="131" period="monthly" output_type="simple"] for the time required to manage the overuse issue.
- Recurrent Overuse: We reserve the right to impose charges for any space used beyond the allocated limits to prevent future suspensions, as well as to apply charges of [main_price pid="131" period="monthly" output_type="simple"] for each instance of service un-suspension due to overuse.
9. Proxy Services
9.1 Prohibition of Proxy Services
The use of proxy services to access Our services is strictly prohibited. Proxy services can mask the true IP address or location of a user, presenting challenges in maintaining security, compliance with financial and tax regulations, and ensuring the integrity of our services.
9.2 Consequences of Proxy Service Usage
- Account Termination: We reserves the right to terminate any accounts and associated services found to be using proxy services for sign-up or any other purpose that obscures the true location or identity of the account holder, without prior notice.
- Fraud Prevention Measures: To safeguard against unauthorized access and fraud, Wee employs advanced anti-fraud guard technology at the point of sale. This technology is designed to detect and prevent access through proxy services.
10. Personal Conduct
10.1 Mutual Respect
We commit to treating all customers with respect, courtesy, and professionalism during interactions, whether by email or phone. We expect the same level of respect and professionalism from our customers.
10.2 Handling Frustrations
We acknowledge that technology can sometimes lead to frustrations due to errors or misunderstandings. It is our expectation that both parties, regardless of the issue's origin, will approach resolutions calmly and professionally.
10.3 Prohibited Behavior
- Abusive Conduct: Customers are prohibited from engaging in threatening, abusive, or disrespectful behavior towards our staff. This includes, but is not limited to, shouting, using abusive language, or employing all caps in written communications (which is considered shouting online).
- Discriminatory Language: The use of racist, sexist, or otherwise discriminatory language is strictly forbidden.
10.4 Consequences of Unacceptable Behavior
- Communication Termination: In instances of abusive behavior, Hipposerve reserves the right to discontinue communication with the offending party, including hanging up phone calls or not responding to emails.
- Account Termination: Hipposerve Digital Services Limited may terminate the services and accounts of customers who exhibit threatening behavior or use discriminatory language without prior notice.
- Legal Notification: Appropriate law enforcement agencies may be notified if the situation warrants such action.
11. Social Media Conduct
11.1 Purpose of Social Media
We recognise social media as a valuable platform for open dialogue and sharing opinions. However, it should not be used as a means to unfairly criticize, abuse, or demand unwarranted privileges from companies, including ours.
11.2 Expectations of Civility
We expect all interactions with or about us on social media to be conducted with civility and respect. While we welcome constructive feedback and discussions, we maintain a strict policy against any form of abuse directed towards our company or staff on these platforms.
11.3 Prohibited Behavior
- Abuse and Harassment: Any form of abusive language, harassment, or derogatory remarks about Us or Our employees on social media is strictly prohibited.
- Extortionate Demands: Using social media to pressure or manipulate Us into providing preferential treatment, discounts, or services is not acceptable.
11.4 Consequences of Violations
- Account Termination: Engaging in abusive behavior on social media may lead to the immediate termination of your account and services with Us, without prior notice.
- Legal and Administrative Action: Where deemed necessary, offensive behavior may be reported to relevant authorities for further action.
12. Suspension and Termination
12.1 Breach Determination
We reserve the right to determine, at our sole discretion, whether a breach of the Acceptable Use Policy has occurred. Our assessment will guide the subsequent actions to address the violation.
12.2 Consequences of Breach
Failure to adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy is considered a significant violation of our Standard Terms and Conditions. In response to such breaches, we may undertake one or more of the following actions:
- Legal Proceedings: Initiate legal action against you to recover all costs on an indemnity basis, including, but not limited to, reasonable administrative and legal expenses incurred as a result of the breach.
- Further Legal Action: Take additional legal actions as deemed necessary.
- Law Enforcement Disclosure: Disclose pertinent information to law enforcement authorities as we consider necessary to address the breach.
12.3 Liability Exclusion
We are not liable for any actions taken in response to breaches of this Acceptable Use Policy. Our response to breaches is not exhaustive; we reserve the right to take any other reasonable actions deemed appropriate to enforce the policy.
13. Complaints Procedure
13.1 Initiating a Complaint
If you have a complaint regarding any aspect of our services, the following procedure should be followed:
- Primary Contact: Send an email to support@hipposerve.co.uk or open a ticket through your client portal, detailing the nature of your complaint. Include as much information as possible: a timeline of events, interactions with our team, trouble ticket numbers, and dates and times of relevant communications.
13.2 Complaint Review Process
- Managerial Review: Your complaint will be received and reviewed by a manager. This review will take into account all information provided, and further inquiries may be made to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the issue.
- Resolution Efforts: Our team is committed to addressing and resolving any complaints to the satisfaction of our customers whenever possible.
14. Service Continuity and Termination
14.1 Acknowledgement of Potential Non-alignment
We are dedicated to providing high-quality services and support to our customers. However, we recognize that there may be circumstances where, despite our best efforts and intentions, our services may not align with a customer's needs or expectations.
14.2 Mutual Decision for Service Termination
- Customer Decision: Customers have the right to discontinue or choose not to renew their services with Hipposerve without the need to provide a specific reason.
- Provider Decision: Similarly, Hipposerve reserves the right, in situations where a satisfactory resolution cannot be achieved, to decide against renewing a service contract. This decision is made with the intention of preventing any further dissatisfaction or potential issues.
14.3 Notice Period
- Advance Notice: In the event that Hipposerve decides not to renew a service, we commit to providing the customer with at least one month's notice. This is to ensure that the customer has sufficient time to seek alternative solutions or make necessary arrangements.
5. Policy Amendments
15.1 Revision of Acceptable Use Policy
We reserve the right to modify or update this Acceptable Use Policy at any given time. Such amendments will be made available on this page.
15.2 Responsibility to Stay Informed
- Continuous Review: Customers are expected to review this page periodically to stay informed of any changes to the Acceptable Use Policy. Amendments to the policy are legally binding and form an integral part of the contract between Us and You.
- Notification of Changes: While We may notify customers of significant changes, it remains the customer's responsibility to check this policy for updates.
15.3 Superseding Provisions
- Prevailing Terms: It is acknowledged that specific provisions within this Acceptable Use Policy may be overridden by other terms or notices published elsewhere on Our website. Customers should also review these documents to ensure full compliance with Our terms and conditions.
Compliance with the AUP
Compliance with these Website Content Terms and Conditions is mandatory for all Our customers. Non-compliance may result in suspension or termination of services. It is the customer's responsibility to ensure that their website's content adheres to the legal standards and the policies outlined herein.
