Purpose and Scope:
This Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) defines the prohibited activities and content associated with the Services provided by Sharon. It is designed to guide users but is not exhaustive; Sharon reserves the right to take action against any behavior or content not specifically mentioned herein.
Accountability for Use:
You are responsible for all actions taken through your account, whether these actions are undertaken by you directly, by someone authorized by you, or through unauthorized access. Additionally, you are liable for any breaches of this AUP by anyone using your services, including your users.
Complicity in Violations:
Assisting others in activities that would breach this AUP if conducted by you also constitutes a violation.
Modifications to the AUP:
Sharon reserves the right to modify this AUP at any time. Updates will be published on the Sharon websites and/or communicated through our Services.
Terminology:
Terms specifically defined and capitalized within this AUP carry the same meanings as those defined in the Terms of Service.
1. Illegal or Abusive Activity or Content
Prohibited Uses: You are forbidden from using the Services for any unlawful or abusive purposes. Activities that violate this policy include, but are not limited to:
Illegal Activities: Engaging in, promoting, or encouraging illegal actions or content deemed unlawful by courts, including the distribution of such content.
Fraudulent or Harmful Activities: Conducting or disseminating fraudulent activities, impersonations, or deceptive practices that harm others or damage Sharon’s reputation. This includes "make-money-fast" schemes, Ponzi and pyramid schemes, phishing, and pharming.
Violation of Intellectual Property Rights: Misusing the Services in ways that infringe upon or misappropriate others' intellectual property or proprietary rights, or assisting others in bypassing technical protections of such rights. Refer to Sharon’s Copyright and Trademark Policies for more details.
Unlawful Pornography: Distributing child pornography or any content involving nudity or sexual activity without the consent of the depicted individuals, including revenge pornography.
Violent, Harassing, or Abusive Content: Publishing or promoting content that incites violence, promotes terrorism, harasses, abuses, invades privacy, threatens physical safety or public health, or discriminates based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected statuses.
Controlled Substances: Illegally selling or distributing controlled substances, including illegal drugs and unauthorized prescription medications.
Enforcement: Sharon reserves the right to take immediate corrective action, including service suspension or cancellation, in response to violations of this policy. Compliance with legal requirements and cooperation with law enforcement agencies will be prioritized.
2. Security Violations
You are prohibited from using the Services to compromise the security or integrity of any network, computer, or communication system, software application, or other types of network or computing device (collectively, "Systems"). Prohibited activities include but are not limited to:
Harmful Software: You may not distribute or use software, content, or other technologies that could harm or interfere with the operation of any System. This includes viruses, malware, spyware, adware, Trojan horses, worms, and time bombs.
Unauthorized Access: Accessing or using any System without authorization is forbidden. This includes engaging in behaviors intended to probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of a System, or to breach any security or authentication measures.
Interception: You may not monitor data or traffic on a System without permission.
Falsification of Origin: Using deceptive or misleading TCP-IP packet headers, email headers, or any part of a message to mask its origin or route is prohibited. The use of aliases or anonymous remailers in a non-deceptive manner is not covered by this prohibition.
Enforcement: Violation of these security guidelines can result in immediate suspension or termination of services. Sharon Networks takes these matters seriously and will enforce policies to ensure the security and integrity of all Systems.
3. Network Abuse
You must not make network connections to any users, hosts, or networks unless you have explicit permission to communicate with them. Prohibited activities include:
Monitoring or Crawling: Engaging in monitoring or crawling activities that impair or disrupt the System being monitored or crawled, or harvesting or scraping any content from the Services.
Deceitful Actions: Introducing viruses or other malicious code into the Services, or collecting, transmitting, or using information (such as email addresses, screen names, or other identifiers) through deceitful means like phishing, Internet scams, password theft, spidering, or harvesting.
Intentional Interference: Disrupting the proper functioning of any System, including deliberate attempts to overload a system (e.g., mail bombing, news bombing, broadcast attacks, flooding techniques), or conducting denial of service (DoS) attacks.
Operation of Certain Network Services: Operating open proxies, open mail relays, open recursive domain name servers, Tor exit nodes, or similar network services.
Avoiding System Restrictions: Using manual or electronic means to bypass any use limitations placed on a System, such as access limits and storage restrictions.
Retaliation Against Sharon: Engaging in conduct likely to result in retaliation against Sharon, its Services, or its employees, including actions that make any Sharon server the target of a DoS attack.
Withholding Identity: Withholding or cloaking identity or contact information, including omitting, deleting, forging, or misreporting any transmission or identification information (such as return mailing and IP addresses).
Mining of Cryptocurrencies: Mining any cryptocurrency, including but not limited to Bitcoin or similar currencies, without explicit written permission.
Enforcement: Violations of these network abuse policies may result in immediate suspension or termination of services. Sharon Networks is committed to maintaining the integrity and functionality of its network and will enforce these rules to protect its systems and users.
4. E-Mail and Other Message Abuse; Spamming
Prohibited Activities:
Unsolicited Mass Messages: You may not distribute, publish, send, or facilitate the sending of unsolicited mass emails or other messages, including promotions, advertisements, or solicitations (commonly known as "spam").
Misleading Information: You may not alter or obscure email headers or assume a sender’s identity without explicit permission.
Collecting Replies: You may not collect replies to messages sent from another internet service provider if those messages violate this AUP or the acceptable use policy of that provider.
Preventative Measures:
Securing Devices and Networks: You must use reasonable efforts to secure any device or network within your control to prevent its use in breach of anti-spam laws. This includes installing antivirus software, firewall software, and keeping operating system and application software up to date with patches and updates.
IP Address Reputation:
Abuse Databases: You must not take any actions that directly or indirectly result in any of our IP addresses being listed on an abuse database (e.g., Spamhaus).
Compliance with Laws:
Bulk/Commercial Email Laws: You must comply with laws and regulations applicable to bulk or commercial email in your jurisdiction.
Bulk/Commercial Email Requirements:
Privacy Policy: A privacy policy or similar disclosure must be posted for each domain associated with the mailing.
Tracking Complaints: There must be a means to track anonymous complaints.
Transparency: The source of your email must not be obscured.
Complaint Address: An email address for complaints (such as [email protected]) must be conspicuously posted on any associated website, and you must promptly respond to complaints.
Recipient Consent: Recipients must have given their consent to receive emails via an opt-in procedure, and you must be able to produce evidence of such consent within 72 hours of a request by the recipient or Sharon.
Verification: You must use reasonable means to ensure the person giving consent owns the email address.
Recipient Address: The recipient’s email address must be included in the body of the message or the “TO” line.
Revoking Consent: You must honor revocations of consent and notify recipients of the process.
Third-Party Services:
Consistent Practices: You may not use a third-party email service that does not follow similar procedures for all its customers.
Third-Party Lists: These requirements apply to distribution lists created by third parties as if you created the list.
Enforcement: Failure to comply with these policies may result in service suspension or termination.
5. Vulnerability Testing
You are strictly prohibited from attempting to probe, scan, penetrate, or test the vulnerability of any Sharon system or network without prior written consent from Sharon. This includes:
Security Breaches: Any actions aimed at breaching Sharon's security measures or authentication protocols.
Research Activities: Conducting security or malware research on or using the Services, whether through passive or intrusive methods.
Enforcement: Violations of this policy may result in immediate suspension or termination of services.
6. Excessive Use of Shared System Resources
Disruption and Resource Consumption:
Your use of any shared System provided by Sharon must not disrupt its regular functioning or excessively consume its resources. For example, if your cloud-hosted code causes conflicts with other customers’ use of the Services due to coding issues, we may ask you to rectify these problems.
Data Integrity and Security:
If data stored on a shared System becomes infected with a virus or is corrupted in a way that could compromise the System or affect other customers' data, we reserve the right to quarantine or delete such data.
Compliance:
You acknowledge and agree to these terms to ensure the stability and security of shared systems for all users.
Enforcement: Violations of these policies may result in requests for corrective actions or other necessary measures to protect the integrity of our systems and services.
7. Other
Domain Registration Information:
You must maintain accurate and up-to-date information with your domain name registrar for any domain hosted on the Sharon network.
IP Address Usage:
IP addresses allocated by Sharon can only be used in conjunction with your Sharon Service.
DNS Records:
If you create a DNS record or zone on Sharon-managed DNS servers for a domain where you are not listed as the registrant or administrative contact according to the registrar's WHOIS system, Sharon reserves the right to modify, transfer, or delete such records or zones at the request of the registrant or administrative contact.
Compliance:
You agree to adhere to these terms to ensure the proper management and operation of domains and IP addresses within the Sharon network.
8. Our Monitoring and Enforcement
Right to Investigate:
We reserve the right, but are not obligated, to investigate any suspected breach of this Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) or misuse of the Services that comes to our attention.
Disclosure to Authorities:
During such investigations, we may disclose any activity that we believe violates laws or regulations to relevant law enforcement officials, regulators, or other appropriate third parties. This may include the examination, disclosure, and retention of relevant customer information, in accordance with applicable laws.
Collaboration with Authorities:
We may collaborate with law enforcement agencies, regulators, or other relevant third parties to assist in the investigation and prosecution of unlawful activities. This collaboration may involve providing network and systems information related to alleged breaches of this AUP.
Compliance:
You acknowledge and agree that we may take these actions to ensure compliance with laws and regulations and to protect the integrity of our Services.
9. Consequences of Violation of AUP
If we determine, at our discretion, that you have violated this Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), we reserve the right to take the following actions:
Content and Resource Management: Remove, disable access to, or modify any content or resource that violates this AUP.
Service Suspension or Termination: Suspend or terminate your access to the Services.
Interception or Blocking: Intercept or block any content or traffic associated with your use of the Services if deemed unlawful or non-compliant with this AUP.
Enforcement Discretion:
These actions may be taken even if the violation occurs unintentionally or without your authorization.
We are not obligated to exercise these rights at any specific time or in relation to any particular Subscriber. We reserve the discretion to execute such actions at any time as we see fit.
10. Reporting of Violations of this AUP
If you encounter or suspect any violation of this Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), please notify us promptly. Provide a detailed explanation of the grounds for the suspected violation.
Cooperation:
Your cooperation may be requested to help stop or rectify the violation.
Contact Information:
To report any infringement of this AUP or for related inquiries, please contact us via the provided contact information.