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 UCE / SPAM Policy (back to terms and conditions/policies) The abuse and misuse of e-mail is a serious problem, and hostproof.com will not tolerate it. Definition of UCE (Unsolicited Commercial E-mail), or SPAM: The bulk UCE, promotional material, or other forms of solicitation sent via e-mail that advertise any IP address belonging to hostproof.com or any URL (domain) that is hosted by hostproof.com. Unsolicited postings to newsgroups advertising any IP or URL hosted by hostproof.com. The use of webpages set up on ISPs that allow SPAM-ing (also known as "ghost sites") that directly or indirectly reference customers to domains or IP addresses hosted by hostproof.com. Advertising, transmitting, or otherwise making available any software, program, product, or service that is designed to facilitate a means to SPAM. Forging or misrepresenting message headers, whether in whole or in part, to mask the true origin of the message. For further information on mail abuse, please visit the Mail Abuse Prevention System (MAPS) website. Repercussions of SPAM: Across the Web, it is generally accepted that SPAM is an inconsiderate and improper business practice. hostproof.com: SPAM is not only harmful because of its negative impact on consumer attitudes toward hostproof.com, but also because it can overload hostproof.com’s network and resources, especially on our shared (virtual) server environments. Our Providers: Since it is unsolicited, users who receive SPAM often become angry and send complaints to our upstream providers. This upsets our providers who abhor SPAM for the same reasons that hostproof.com does - it causes negative consumer attitudes and drains resources. We strive to maintain favorable business relationships in the Web community and obviously will not allow any practice that threatens these relationships. Punishment For SPAM: hostproof.com reserves the right to terminate, without warning, any account that violates this policy. Usage of hostproof.com services constitutes acceptance and understanding of this policy. hostproof.com will charge up to $200.00 per SPAM complaint we receive for both Dedicated and Virtual Server customers. Resellers will be charged for resold accounts, receiving SPAM complaints. Reseller may choose to pass this charge down to their client. Our provider receives this fine from their Network providers and these fines are passed on to the responsible party. These are non-refundable charges and will be invoiced at the time of complaint notification. hostproof.com reserves the right to decide what it considers "SPAM", "UCE", "mail bombing", or "bulk e-mail", and to determine from all of the evidence whether or not the e-mail recipients were from an "opt-in" e-mail list. Should you choose to e-mail from hostproof.com servers, especially if you use mailing lists, you must read and adhere to the following guidelines, which are offered as a statement of Internet standards and best current practices for proper mailing list management and preventing e-mail abuse. Basic Mailing List Management Principles for Preventing Abuse Mailing lists are an excellent vehicle for distributing focused, targeted information to an interested, receptive audience. Consequently, mailing lists have been used successfully as a highly effective direct marketing tool. Unfortunately, some marketers misuse mailing lists through a lack of understanding of Internet customs and rules of the forum pertaining to e-mail. Others fail to take adequate precautions to prevent the lists they manage from being used in an abusive manner. 1. The e-mail addresses of new subscribers must be confirmed or verified before mailings commence. This is usually accomplished by means of an e-mail message sent to the subscriber to which s/he must reply, or containing a URL which s/he must visit, in order to complete the subscription. However it is implemented, a fundamental requirement of all lists is the verification of all new subscriptions. 2. Mailing list administrators must provide a simple method for subscribers to terminate their subscriptions, and administrators should provide clear and effective instructions for unsubscribing from a mailing list. Mailings from a list must cease promptly once a subscription is terminated. 3. Mailing list administrators should make an "out of band" procedure (e.g., a means of contact by which messages may be sent for further correspondence via e-mail or telephone) available for those who wish to terminate their mailing list subscriptions but are unable or unwilling to follow standard automated procedures. 4. Mailing list administrators must ensure that the impact of their mailings on the networks and hosts of others is minimized by proper list management procedures such as pruning of invalid or undeliverable addresses, or taking steps to ensure that mailings do not overwhelm less robust hosts or networks. 5. Mailing list administrators must take adequate steps to ensure that their lists are not used for abusive purposes. For example, administrators can maintain a "suppression list" of e-mail addresses from which all subscription requests are rejected. Addresses would be added to the suppression list upon request by the parties entitled to use the addresses at issue. The purpose of the suppression list would be to prevent subscription of addresses appearing on the suppression list by unauthorized third parties. Such suppression lists should also give properly authorized domain administrators the option to suppress all mailings to the domains for which they are responsible. 6. Mailing list administrators must make adequate disclosures about how subscriber addresses will be used, including whether or not addresses are subject to sale or trade with other parties. Once a mailing list is traded or sold, it may no longer be an opt-in mailing list. Therefore, those who are acquiring "opt-in" lists from others must examine the terms and conditions under which the addresses were originally compiled and determine that all recipients have in fact opted-in specifically to the mailing lists to which they are being traded or sold. 7. Mailing list administrators should make adequate disclosures about the nature of their mailing lists, including the subject matter of the lists and anticipated frequency of messages. A substantive change in either the subject matter or frequency of messages may constitute a new and separate mailing list requiring a separate subscription. List administrators should create a new mailing list when there is a substantive change in either the subject matter or frequency of messages. A notification about the new mailing list may be appropriate on the existing mailing list, but existing subscribers should never be subscribed automatically to the new list. For example, if Company A acquires Company B, and Company B has compiled opt-in mailing lists, Company A should not summarily incorporate Company B's mailing lists into its own. *This SPAM (UCE) Accepted Use Policy and all other hostproof.com policies are subject to change by hostproof.com without notice. Continued usage of the services after a change to this policy is implemented and posted on the hostproof.com site constitutes your acceptance of such change or policy. We encourage you to regularly check the hostproof.com site for any changes or additions. Visit our Terms & Conditions for further information regarding our policies
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