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UCE
/ SPAM Policy
The
abuse and misuse of e-mail is a serious problem, and Sexy Hosting
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 Sexy Hosting
or any URL (domain) that is hosted by Sexy Hosting.
Unsolicited
postings to newsgroups advertising any IP or URL hosted by Sexy Hosting.
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 Sexy Hosting.
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.
Sexy Hosting:
SPAM
is not only harmful because of its negative impact on consumer
attitudes toward Sexy Hosting, but also because it can overload Sexy Hosting’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 Sexy Hosting
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:
Sexy Hosting
reserves the right to terminate, without warning, any account
that violates this policy. Usage of Sexy Hosting services
constitutes acceptance and understanding of this policy.
Sexy Hosting
will charge $25.00 per SPAM complaint we receive for both
Dedicated and Virtual Server customers. Our provider,
Verio, 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.
Sexy Hosting
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 Sexy Hosting 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.
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.
4- 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.
5- 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.
6- 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 Sexy Hosting
policies are subject to change by Sexy Hosting without notice.
Continued usage of the services after a change to this policy is
implemented and posted on the Sexy Hosting site constitutes your
acceptance of such change or policy. We encourage you to
regularly check the Sexy Hosting site for any changes or
additions. Visit our Terms
& Conditions for further information regarding our
policies.
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