Acceptable Use Policy

Acceptable Use Policy

Last Updated: January 1, 2024

Purpose of This Policy

This AUP protects you and all our customers by:

• Preventing abuse that degrades service quality for everyone
• Ensuring compliance with Indian and international laws
• Protecting our infrastructure from security threats
• Maintaining the reputation and deliverability of our network
• Creating a safe and legal hosting environment

Prohibited Activities

The following activities are strictly prohibited on our services. Violations may result in immediate suspension or termination of your account.

Illegal Content and Activities

Child Exploitation Material

Any content depicting, promoting, or facilitating child sexual abuse or exploitation. We report all instances to law enforcement immediately.

Copyright Infringement

Unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material, including:

• Pirated software, games, or applications
• Illegally shared movies, TV shows, or music
• Copyrighted books, articles, or documents
• Cracked software or license key generators

We comply with the Copyright Act 1957 and respond to valid DMCA takedown notices.

Illegal Pornography

Content depicting non-consensual acts, minors, or content that violates the Information Technology Act 2000 and Indian Penal Code provisions on obscenity.

Fraudulent Activities

Including but not limited to:

• Phishing websites or fake login pages
• Investment scams, pyramid schemes, or Ponzi schemes
• High-Yield Investment Programs (HYIP)
• Counterfeit goods or services
• Identity theft or impersonation
• Credit card fraud or financial scams

Illegal Goods and Services

Sale or distribution of:

• Illegal drugs or controlled substances
• Weapons, explosives, or ammunition (where prohibited by law)
• Stolen goods or services
• Hacking tools, malware, or exploit kits

Defamation and Harassment

Content that violates Indian defamation laws, promotes hate speech, incites violence, or harasses individuals or groups based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristics.

Email and Messaging Abuse

Spam and Unsolicited Bulk Email

Sending unsolicited commercial email (spam) is strictly prohibited. This includes:

• Mass emails to recipients who have not opted in
• Emails without valid unsubscribe mechanisms
• Purchased or scraped email lists
• Email bombing or flooding

Email Sending Limits

Shared Hosting:

500 emails per hour

VPS/Cloud:

1,000 emails per hour

Dedicated Servers:

2,000 emails per hour

Custom Limits:

Contact support for higher limits

Exceeding these limits without prior approval may result in temporary suspension to protect our mail server reputation.

Phishing and Email Spoofing

Sending emails that impersonate other entities, falsify headers, or attempt to trick recipients into revealing sensitive information.

Security Violations

Hacking and Unauthorized Access

Prohibited activities include:

• Attempting to access accounts, systems, or networks without authorization
• Password cracking or brute force attacks
• Exploiting security vulnerabilities without permission
• Port scanning or network probing without authorization
• SQL injection or cross-site scripting attacks

Note: Security research and penetration testing require written approval from both us and the target system owner.

Malware and Viruses

Hosting, distributing, or executing:

• Viruses, trojans, or worms
• Ransomware or cryptolockers
• Keyloggers or spyware
• Botnet command and control servers
• Exploit kits or malicious scripts

DDoS Attacks

Launching Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks against our infrastructure or using our services to attack third parties. This includes participating in botnets or hosting DDoS-for-hire services.

Open Proxies and Anonymization Services

Operating open proxies, TOR exit nodes, or anonymization services that enable abuse or illegal activities. VPN services for legitimate personal use require prior approval.

Resource Abuse

Excessive Resource Consumption

Shared hosting and VPS services have resource limits. Excessive usage includes:

• CPU usage above 80% for more than 12 consecutive hours
• Memory usage consistently at or near plan limits
• Disk I/O that degrades performance for other users
• Bandwidth usage exceeding 1TB per month on shared hosting without prior approval

If your application needs more resources, upgrade to a higher plan or dedicated server.

Cryptocurrency Mining

Mining cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc.) is prohibited on shared hosting and VPS plans. It consumes excessive CPU resources and degrades service for other customers. Dedicated servers may be used for mining with prior written approval.

AI and Machine Learning Abuse

Training large AI models or running high-volume inference workloads on shared resources is prohibited. Contact us for dedicated solutions if you need AI/ML capabilities.

File Sharing and Storage Abuse

Prohibited uses include:

• Running BitTorrent or peer-to-peer file sharing of copyrighted material
• Operating public file sharing or storage services
• Backup storage services for third parties
• Using hosting for primary file storage rather than website hosting

Web Scraping and Bot Traffic

Automated scraping that generates excessive traffic or degrades service is prohibited. Reasonable web scraping for legitimate purposes (price monitoring, research) is allowed if it does not impact other users.

IRC Servers and Chat Networks

Running IRC servers or bots that connect to public IRC networks is prohibited on shared hosting. Dedicated servers may run IRC with prior approval.

Your Responsibilities

Account Security

• Keep your passwords secure and change them regularly
• Use strong passwords with letters, numbers, and special characters
• Never share your account credentials with unauthorized persons
• Enable two-factor authentication when available
• Immediately notify us if you suspect unauthorized access
• You are responsible for all activity on your account, including unauthorized use

Data Backups

CRITICAL: You Are Responsible for Your Backups

We perform regular backups for disaster recovery purposes, but these are not guaranteed and may not include all your data. You must maintain your own backups of all important data, files, databases, and configurations.

• Download regular backups of your website files and databases
• Store backups in multiple locations (local and cloud storage)
• Test your backups periodically to ensure they work
• We are not responsible for data loss due to hardware failure, attacks, or user error

Software and Security Updates

• Keep all software (CMS, plugins, scripts) updated to the latest versions
• Remove unused or outdated software that may have vulnerabilities
• Scan your files regularly for malware and security issues
• Follow security best practices for your applications

Legal Compliance

• Comply with all applicable laws, including Information Technology Act 2000, IT Rules 2021, and Indian Penal Code
• Obtain necessary licenses and permissions for your content and activities
• Respect intellectual property rights of others
• Include required legal pages (privacy policy, terms of service) on your website

Monitoring and Reporting

• Monitor your account for unusual activity or security issues
• Report suspected security breaches to us immediately
• Respond promptly to our notices regarding policy violations
• Cooperate with abuse investigations

Reseller Responsibilities

If you are a reseller providing hosting services to your own customers:

• You must enforce this AUP on all your customers
• You are responsible for all activities of your customers
• You must respond promptly to abuse complaints about your customers
• You must have your own acceptable use policy that is at least as strict as ours
• Violations by your customers may result in suspension of your entire reseller account
• You must maintain customer contact information and provide it to us upon request for abuse investigations

Enforcement and Violations

Our Rights

To protect our customers and infrastructure, we reserve the right to:

• Monitor resource usage and network traffic for abuse
• Investigate suspected violations of this AUP
• Remove content that violates this AUP without prior notice
• Suspend or terminate accounts that violate this AUP
• Refuse service to anyone for any reason
• Cooperate with law enforcement investigations
• Disclose customer information when required by law or to prevent harm

We do not proactively monitor content on customer accounts, but we respond to abuse reports and automated detection systems.

Violation Response Process

First Violation (Minor)

For minor violations (resource overuse, outdated software, etc.):

• Warning email sent to your registered email address
• 24-48 hours to resolve the issue
• Support ticket opened for assistance if needed
• No service interruption unless issue causes immediate harm

Second Violation

For repeated violations or failure to address first violation:

• Account suspended temporarily
• Email notification sent immediately
• 12-24 hours to respond and resolve
• Account reactivated once issue is resolved

Third Violation or Severe Violations

For repeated violations or severe violations (illegal content, security attacks, etc.):

• Account terminated immediately
• No refund provided
• Data retained for 7 days, then permanently deleted
• Law enforcement contacted if required
• May be banned from future service

Immediate Termination Without Warning

The following violations result in immediate termination without prior warning:

• Child exploitation material
• Terrorist content or activities
• DDoS attacks against us or from our servers
• Severe security breaches or hacking attempts
• Abusive or threatening behavior toward our staff
• Activities that pose immediate danger to our infrastructure or other customers

Appeals Process

If you believe your account was suspended or terminated in error:

• Submit an appeal via support ticket within 7 days of suspension/termination
• Provide detailed explanation and evidence supporting your appeal
• Our abuse team will review your appeal within 3 business days
• You will receive a written decision with explanation
• Our decision on appeals is final

Note: Appeals do not apply to severe violations like illegal content or security attacks.

Reporting Abuse

If you encounter content or activities on our network that violate this AUP, please report it to us.

Email:

abuse@host4india.com

Include in Your Report:

• URL or IP address of the violating content
• Date and time you observed the violation
• Description of the violation and which policy it breaks
• Screenshots or evidence (if applicable)
• Your contact information for follow-up

DMCA Copyright Complaints:

dmca@host4india.com

Copyright complaints must include all information required by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and Indian Copyright Act 1957.

We investigate all abuse reports within 24-48 hours and take appropriate action based on our findings.

Cooperation with Law Enforcement

We cooperate fully with law enforcement agencies as required by Indian law. This includes:

• Responding to valid court orders, warrants, and subpoenas
• Reporting illegal activities to appropriate authorities
• Providing customer information when legally required
• Preserving evidence for ongoing investigations
• Complying with Information Technology Act 2000 intermediary obligations

We may disclose customer information without notice when required by law or when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to prevent physical harm or financial loss.

Limitation of Liability

We are not liable for:

• Content hosted on customer accounts
• Actions taken by customers using our services
• Damages resulting from service suspension or termination due to AUP violations
• Data loss due to account termination for violations
• Business losses or damages resulting from enforcement of this AUP

Customers who violate this AUP waive all refund rights as specified in our Refund Policy.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Webberstop India Pvt. Ltd., its officers, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including legal fees) arising from:

• Your violation of this AUP
• Your violation of any law or regulation
• Your infringement of third-party rights (copyright, trademark, privacy, etc.)
• Content you host or distribute using our services
• Actions of your customers if you are a reseller

This indemnification obligation survives termination of your account.

Data Retention After Termination

Voluntary Cancellation:

Data retained for 30 days, then permanently deleted

AUP Violation Termination:

Data retained for 7 days, then permanently deleted

Severe Violation (Illegal Content):

Content may be preserved for law enforcement and permanently deleted after investigation concludes

You are responsible for downloading your data before termination. We are not responsible for providing access to data after retention periods expire.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this AUP to reflect new threats, legal requirements, or service changes.

When we make material changes:

• We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top
• We will notify active customers via email
• We will post a notice on our website for 30 days
• Changes take effect 30 days after notification

Continued use of our services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated AUP.

Questions About This Policy?

If you have questions about this Acceptable Use Policy or need clarification on whether an activity is permitted:

Support: support@host4india.com

Abuse Reports: abuse@host4india.com

DMCA Complaints: dmca@host4india.com

It is better to ask before engaging in questionable activities than to risk account suspension.