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The abuse and misuse of e-mail is a serious problem, and Web
Hosting Solutions 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 Web Hosting Solutions or any URL (domain) that
is hosted by Web Hosting Solutions.
Unsolicited postings to newsgroups advertising any IP or
URL hosted by Web Hosting Solutions.
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
Web Hosting Solutions.
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.
Web Hosting Solutions
SPAM is not only harmful because of its negative impact
on consumer attitudes toward Web Hosting Solutions, but
also because it can overload Web Hosting Solutions’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 Web Hosting Solutions 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
Web Hosting Solutions reserves the right to terminate,
without warning, any account that violates this policy.
Usage of Web Hosting Solutions services constitutes acceptance
and understanding of this policy.
Web Hosting Solutions may, at its option, charge
$25.00 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. These
are non-refundable charges and will be invoiced at the time
of complaint notification.
Web Hosting Solutions 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 Web Hosting Solutions
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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