ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

Acceptable Use Policy

This Acceptable Use Policy outlines the types of activities that are not permitted on our network and is part of the Hosting Terms of R & M Web Developers (Pty) Ltd t/a WebSiteDesigns SA.

R & M Web Developers reserves the right to request changes or disable any website, account, database, or other components that do not comply with our policies or make modifications in emergencies at our sole discretion. As the legal landscape and customer needs evolve, this policy may be updated at any time. We encourage all customers to review it regularly.

If you believe you have discovered a violation of this policy, please email us at abuse@rmwebdevelopers.com.

Table of Contents

1. SPAM and Unsolicited Email
2. Offensive Content
3. Misuse of Account Features
4. Shared Systems and Resource Usage
5. Server Side Processes
6. Internet Abuse
7. Security
8. Disk Usage
9. Traffic Usage
10. Combining Traffic Quotas Across Multiple Servers
11. Traffic & Self-Managed Servers

1. SPAM and Unsolicited Email

Sending unsolicited commercial communication (such as email, instant messaging, SMS, or posts in chat rooms and newsgroups) via our network is prohibited. Unsolicited communication includes any messages that the recipient has not explicitly requested or consented to, whether through a prior relationship or direct consent. All forms of deceptive email communication are considered SPAM.

Examples of unsolicited communication:

• Purchased mailing lists, “safe lists,” or email addresses collected without the explicit consent of the user.
• Sending emails where recipients must opt-out of receiving further emails they never requested.
• Continuing to email someone after they have requested removal from your mailing list.

R & M Web Developers may suspend or terminate accounts found to be sending SPAM and holds the customer responsible for any costs incurred, including reputation damage and blacklist removal. A clean-up fee for blacklisted emails will be charged at R & M Web Developers’ discretion.

2. Offensive Content

The following types of content or links to such content are not allowed on our hosting systems:

• Pornographic, sexually explicit, or violent content.
• Content promoting discrimination based on sex, race, age, etc.
• Illegal material, including stolen copyrighted content.
• Defamatory material or content that violates privacy.
• Fraudulent or criminal content, such as drug trafficking, money laundering, or terrorism.

If R & M Web Developers determines that your content violates laws or this policy, we may:

• Request the removal or modification of the content.
• Suspend or terminate access to our services.
• Notify relevant authorities and take further action as required.

3. Misuse of Account Features

Using your account features for third parties or to assist anonymous or abusive behaviour is forbidden. Any actions that affect server stability, degrade service quality, or negatively impact other users are prohibited. Account features are intended solely for the development and use of your website(s).

Reselling multiple domains on shared hosting packages is not allowed unless for your own use.

4. Shared Systems and Resource Usage

Customers hosting in a shared environment must not use system resources in ways that affect the normal operation of the server or compromise other users’ experiences. This includes excessive disk usage, bandwidth usage, inefficient scripts, or excessive server hits.

For shared servers, the following restrictions apply:

• No process may require more than 50MB of memory.
• No program may use more than 30 CPU seconds.
• No user may run more than 10 simultaneous processes.
• Emails must not exceed 500 recipients within one hour.
• Mail attachments larger than 20MB are not permitted.

Should excessive usage impact the shared hosting environment, R & M Web Developers reserves the right to suspend the account. Managed Servers have different usage policies, which do not typically apply to the shared environment.

5. Server-Side Processes

The operation of unattended, stand-alone server-side processes (daemons) is prohibited on shared servers, except for cron jobs as per the above-mentioned conditions.

Repeat exploitations of the same website or customer account may result in account termination. Managed servers are exempt from these restrictions, provided they do not interfere with server management.

6. Internet Abuse

Customers must not use our network for illegal, abusive, or irresponsible behaviour. Prohibited activities include:

• Attempting to gain unauthorised access to systems or data.
• Scanning or probing networks or systems without permission.
• Interfering with any user, host, or network, including overloading systems with excessive traffic (DDoS attacks).
• Using phishing or similar tactics to deceive others into providing confidential information.

Any activities that violate relevant laws, such as the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, will result in account suspension and potential legal action.

7. Security

Customers must maintain security measures, including using secure passwords, keeping software updated, and ensuring permissions are properly configured. Failure to adhere to security standards may lead to compromised websites and blacklisted mailboxes, affecting other users on our network.

R & M Web Developers may require password changes if weak credentials are found and reserves the right to suspend accounts in the event of a security breach.

8. Disk Usage

Accounts may not store more than 200,000 files, or 50,000 files per directory. Using our servers for personal storage unrelated to your website is not permitted.