Acceptable Use Policy

Article I. General Principles

Alterascape supports the free and uncensored flow of information and does not generally exercise editorial control over content created, transmitted, or stored using the Services. However, Alterascape retains the right, in its sole discretion, to remove or restrict access to any material that it deems unlawful, that may subject Alterascape to liability, or that otherwise violates this AUP.

Alterascape may cooperate with law enforcement and third parties in the investigation of suspected violations of law or of this AUP. Alterascape is not obligated to monitor, review, or police data or content transmitted or stored on its network. Each Customer remains fully responsible for any use of the Services by itself, its clients, end-users, employees, contractors, or other third parties who access the Services through the Customer's account, whether such use is authorized or not.

Article II. Prohibited Conduct

1. Illegal Activity or Content

The Services may not be used for any unlawful purpose or in connection with any criminal or civil violation. Customers are strictly prohibited from using the Services or network to transmit, distribute, retrieve, or store any information, data, or other material in violation of applicable law, including:

• Unauthorized use or transmission of copyrighted material, trade secrets, or other intellectual property
• Content constituting illegal threats, harassment, defamation, or obscenity
• Content in violation of export control laws
• Any material that is otherwise unlawful under applicable federal, state, or international law

2. Network Abuse

The following activities are expressly prohibited and constitute abuse of the network:

• Launching or participating in denial-of-service (DoS) or distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks
• Monitoring data or traffic on any system or network without authorization
• Accessing computers, accounts, or networks without authorization, or attempting to bypass or compromise security
• Port-scanning, vulnerability scanning, or any precursor activity to system penetration
• Introducing malicious programs, including viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, or keyloggers
• Injecting false data into the internet, including false routing or DNS information
• Forging headers of email or other transmissions
• Executing network activities designed to intercept data not intended for your server

3. Unsolicited Email (Spam)

Improper use of email is strictly prohibited. The following are violations of this AUP:

• Sending unsolicited commercial email to recipients who have not provided verifiable consent
• Using purchased, rented, licensed, or traded email lists
• Hosting web pages or services advertised in spam emails ("spamvertising")
• Configuring servers as open mail relays or in any manner that facilitates third-party email forwarding
• Operating unconfirmed or "single opt-in" mailing lists — all lists must use closed-loop (confirmed double opt-in) procedures
• Using the Services to receive replies from spam emails
• Associating with or reselling services to entities listed in the Spamhaus Register of Known Spam Operations (ROKSO)

For Shared, WordPress, and Drupal Hosting, outgoing email is limited to three hundred (300) messages per hour per account. Exceeding this threshold may result in delivery failures, suspension, or enforcement action.

4. IRC and Proxy Servers

All Internet Relay Chat (IRC) activity is prohibited on Shared, WordPress, and Drupal Hosting accounts, including running IRC clients, servers, bots, or web-based IRC software. Proxy servers of any type are similarly prohibited on these accounts, including but not limited to SOCKS proxies, Squid proxies, BitTorrent proxies, Tor exit nodes, and CGI- or PHP-based proxy scripts.

5. Facilitating Violations

You may not advertise, transmit, or otherwise make available any program, product, or service designed to violate this AUP. Prohibited facilitation includes, without limitation, distributing tools for spamming, launching DoS attacks, or engaging in mail-bombing or network flooding.

6. Network and Resource Performance

Because Alterascape Services operate on shared and interconnected infrastructure, Customers must not use resources in a manner that adversely impacts network or server performance for others. Excessive use of CPU, memory, disk space, or bandwidth that degrades service quality for other customers is prohibited.

For VPS accounts on shared resources, Customers may not run resource-intensive applications that impair overall network performance. Alterascape reserves the right to limit, suspend, or require a plan upgrade for such activities.

Article III. Enforcement and Remedies

Alterascape may investigate suspected violations of this AUP. Customers are expected to cooperate with any such investigation. In response to violations, Alterascape may, in its sole discretion, take one or more of the following actions:

• Issue written or verbal warnings
• Suspend access to the Customer's Services or content
• Remove or disable access to offending content
• Block email or other transmissions; null-route IP addresses
• Suspend or terminate accounts
• Bill administrative or reconnection fees
• Initiate legal proceedings to enjoin violations and/or recover damages

Suspected violations of this AUP should be reported to Alterascape's Abuse Department via the support portal. Reports should include, where possible, the IP address, date and time of the alleged violation (with time zone), and supporting evidence such as full email headers or log files.

Article IV. Liability, Indemnification, and Survival

Violations of this AUP that result in suspension or termination do not relieve Customer of its payment obligations under the Terms of Service. Customers agree to indemnify and hold harmless Alterascape from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from violations of this AUP. No service credits will be issued for interruptions of Service caused by enforcement of this AUP. The obligations of indemnification and payment shall survive termination of the Customer's account.

Article V. Amendments and Governing Law

Alterascape may amend this AUP at any time by posting an updated version online. Such amendments shall be effective immediately upon posting. Continued use of the Services following any amendment constitutes acceptance. This AUP shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida, with exclusive jurisdiction and venue in the state and federal courts located in Orange County, Florida, as provided in the Terms of Service.

Violations of this AUP should be reported to: [email protected]