Acceptable Use Policy
Purpose
1. This
document describes the rules that Socket Internet Inc.
(hereinafter combined and referred to as
"Socket") and customers and subscribers that use Socket's
services (hereinafter referred to as "Customer") must
adhere to in order to use and enjoy and allow others to use and
enjoy use of Socket's services. Use of Socket's services or
connections constitutes acceptance of this agreement.
Interpretation
2. The
provisions of this Policy are intended as guidelines and are not
meant to be exhaustive. Generally, conduct that violates law,
regulation, or the accepted norms of the Internet community, whether
or not expressly mentioned in this Policy, is prohibited. Socket
reserves the right at all times to prohibit activities that damage
its commercial reputation and goodwill.
Security
3. Any
"denial of service" attack, any attempt to breach
authentication or security measures, or any unauthorized attempt to
gain access to any other account, host or network is prohibited, and
will result in immediate service termination, which may be without
notice.
E-mail
and Usenet News
4.
Using an improper return address in e-mail is fraudulent and is
prohibited. The only exception would be postings to mailing lists
that permit anonymous posting as part of their charter.
5.
Using any Socket account or server to post advertisements or
messages that violate the charter of any newsgroup or mailing list
is prohibited. Usenet groups and mailing lists are self-regulated
entities and it is expected that the spirit of their charter be
honored.
6.
Socket reserves the right to make the determination whether a given
message violates the newsgroup or mailing list charter. In most
cases Socket will defer to the judgment of the newsgroup or mailing
list moderator or administrator, and may suspend an account based on a complaint
from a newsgroup or mailing list.
7.
Conduct in connection with e-mail or Usenet news that is an obvious
nuisance (such as "mail bombing") or that would be
unlawful in other contexts (for example, threats, harassment,
defamation, obscenity, or software piracy) is prohibited.
8.
Sending e-mail to an individual that has specifically requested that
they not receive further e-mail constitutes harassment, and is
therefore prohibited.
IRC
(Internet Relay Chat)
9.
Using programs that interfere with others' use on any IRC server is
prohibited. When logged into any IRC server, users are expected to
comply with the rules and policies established by the server's
administrator.
Forgery
of Identity
10.
Falsifying addressing information or otherwise modifying headers to
conceal the sender's or recipient's identity, for the purpose of
circumventing this Policy, is prohibited. This provision is not
intended to disallow the use of aliases or anonymous remailers for
any legitimate purpose.
Copyright,
Privacy, and Intellectual Property
11.
Using a Socket connection to commit, aid or abet any violation of
copyright or intellectual property law is prohibited.
12.
This prohibition includes publishing a private e-mail message to
third parties, by any means, without the express prior consent of
the author.
13.
The e-mail addresses of Socket subscribers are not for sale or
commercial distribution to third parties without the express prior
consent of the subscriber.
Consequences
of Violation
14.
Violation of this Policy by a Socket customer or person authorized by
the customer to use Socket's Service may result in
temporary suspension or permanent termination of service, at
Socket's sole discretion.
15.
Socket does not issue service credits for any outages incurred
through service disablement resulting from Policy violations.
Modification
16.
Socket reserves the right to add, delete, or modify any provision of
this Policy at any time without notice.
Responsible
Usage
17.
Socket exercises absolutely no control over the content of the
information passing through or contained on Socket's system(s) or
connection(s); Socket only provides access. The Customer must take
responsibility for Customer's actions on Socket's system(s) and any
system(s) Customer may access using Socket's service. The Customer
must comply with whatever rules or acceptable usage policies are in
force for each system accessed. If the Customer acts irresponsibly
or the Customer's actions endanger our systems, connections, or
other customers' privileges, or if Socket receives notice about such
behavior Socket may suspend Customer's access at any time, without
notice.
Content
18. The
Customer takes full responsibility for all statements the Customer
makes in e-mail, chat or discussion forums and newsgroups.
19.
The Customer takes full responsibility for any web pages or other
content published using Socket's servers. Socket does not
specifically monitor the Customer's content but will respond to
complaints and notices.
20.
By individual request, the name, phone number, and mailing address
of the Customer will be made available for any publicly accessable
web site hosted on Socket's servers.
21.
Socket has a policy of total non-censorship, unless the information
is illegal and/or clearly used for fraud. Content providers must
clearly identify material unsuitable for minors and use appropriate
rating systems to prevent access by minors. Parents and Guardians
are responsible for exercising control over minor's access and
connection to information on the Internet.
Account
Usage
22.
Dial-Up accounts are for Customer's exclusive and individual use;
multiple concurrent logins of the same account are not allowed
without prior authorization. At Socket's sole discretion, the
account will be levied a per minute charge or will be immediately
suspended. No refund will be granted. For this reason Customer
should protect account and password information in the same manner
as Customer would protect any other personal resource such as a
telephone calling card or credit card number.
Resource
Usage
23. No
system has unlimited resources. Socket expects Customers to act
responsibly when consuming resources on our system. If a Customer
consumes excessive resources on any Socket system(s) or connection(s)
we may suspend Customer's access at any time. If the Customer's
access is suspended by Socket for excessive use of resources and/or
irresponsible behavior or actions (to be determined solely by
Socket), Customer will be entitled to the return of prepaid access
fees on a prorated basis at the sole discretion of Socket.
Unlawful
or Unauthorized Usage
24.
Socket's network of information services may only be used for lawful
purposes. Transmission of any material in violation of any State or
Federal legislation is prohibited. This includes copyrighted
material, material legally determined to be threatening or obscene
and material protected by trade secret.
25.
Any attempt by the Customer to access or modify any computer system
information that said Customer is not authorized to access, or any
attempt to interfere with normal system operations, whether on the
equipment of Socket, or of any computer systems, or networks that
can be accessed by Socket's services, will result in immediate
suspension of Customer's access. Unauthorized activities include
guessing or using passwords other than those belonging to the
Customer, accessing information that does not have public
permission, and accessing any systems on which Customer is not an
authorized user.
26.
Socket cooperates fully with government entities with proper
jurisdiction investigating unlawful activity on or via our systems
or connections. Socket will seek damages for any incidents of
unlawful or unauthorized usage of our systems or connections.
Service Suspension
27.
Socket reserves the right to temporarily or permanently suspend service
for any reason it deems sufficient. If an account is permanently suspended
and provided that a suspension was not for security reasons or prohibited
behavior engaged in, to circumvent a customer's contractual obligation to
Socket, then prepaid amounts may be refunded (subject to deductions for
recalculation of the account as a month-to-month account) and no further
financial obligations to Socket will accrue.
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