Acceptable Use Policy

1. Purpose and Scope

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") governs your use of services provided by Sable Servers Inc. ("Sable Servers," "we," "us," or "our"). This AUP is incorporated into and forms part of our Terms of Service.

This AUP applies to all users of our services, including virtual private servers, web hosting, game server hosting, managed services, and any other services we provide.

Violation of this AUP may result in suspension or termination of services without notice or refund, and may be reported to appropriate law enforcement authorities.

2. General Principles

You agree to use our services in a lawful, responsible, and ethical manner. You must:

• Comply with all applicable Canadian federal, provincial, and local laws and regulations
• Respect the rights of others, including privacy and intellectual property rights
• Use resources fairly and not in a manner that interferes with other customers' use of services
• Maintain security of your account and services
• Respond promptly to security or abuse notifications from Sable Servers

3. Prohibited Content

You may not use our services to host, transmit, distribute, or store any content that:

3.1 Illegal Content

• Violates any Canadian federal, provincial, or local laws or regulations
• Constitutes, depicts, or promotes illegal activity
• Contains child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or child exploitation material of any kind
• Facilitates human trafficking or exploitation
• Promotes or facilitates terrorism or violent extremism
• Infringes upon intellectual property rights, including copyright, trademark, or patent rights
• Contains stolen or illegally obtained data, credentials, or materials

3.2 Harmful or Malicious Content

• Contains malware, viruses, trojans, worms, ransomware, or other harmful code
• Is designed to damage, interfere with, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems
• Contains exploit code, zero-day vulnerabilities, or attack tools (without prior authorization for security research)
• Facilitates unauthorized access to networks, systems, or data (hacking tools)

3.3 Deceptive or Fraudulent Content

• Facilitates phishing, identity theft, or social engineering attacks
• Promotes pyramid schemes, Ponzi schemes, or other fraudulent business models
• Contains counterfeit goods or services
• Impersonates any person or entity, or falsely states or misrepresents affiliation

3.4 Prohibited Media

• Non-consensual intimate images or "revenge porn"
• Content that promotes, glorifies, or incites violence
• Graphic violence or gore intended to shock or disturb
• Content that harasses, threatens, or incites hatred against individuals or groups

4. Prohibited Activities

4.1 Spam and Unsolicited Communications

In compliance with Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), you may not:

• Send unsolicited commercial electronic messages (spam) to Canadian recipients
• Send emails without proper consent and identification as required by CASL
• Use our services to operate email lists without proper unsubscribe mechanisms
• Harvest email addresses or engage in scraping for spam purposes
• Send bulk SMS, instant messages, or other bulk communications without consent
• Engage in any marketing practices that violate CASL or other applicable anti-spam laws

4.2 Network Attacks and Abuse

• Launching or facilitating Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks
• Port scanning or vulnerability scanning without authorization
• Attempting to breach or circumvent security measures of any system or network
• Intercepting, monitoring, or manipulating network traffic without authorization
• Spoofing IP addresses, MAC addresses, or packet headers
• Flooding networks with excessive traffic or connection requests

4.3 Unauthorized Access and Data Breaches

• Accessing systems, networks, or data without authorization
• Circumventing user authentication or security measures
• Probing, testing, or scanning systems for vulnerabilities without permission
• Hosting, distributing, or selling stolen data or credentials
• Facilitating unauthorized access to services or systems

4.4 Cryptocurrency Mining

• Cryptocurrency mining is prohibited on all shared hosting and shared virtual server resources
• Mining is only permitted on dedicated resources with explicit written authorization
• Mining without authorization will result in immediate service suspension
• Cryptojacking (unauthorized use of computing resources for mining) is strictly prohibited

4.5 Proxy and VPN Services

• Operating open proxies, open relays, or public VPN services without authorization
• Proxying traffic that violates this AUP or facilitates illegal activity
• Circumventing geographical restrictions or digital rights management (DRM) systems
• Anonymous proxy services designed to hide malicious activity

4.6 File Sharing and Piracy

• Hosting or distributing copyrighted material without authorization
• Operating torrent trackers or file sharing services primarily used for piracy
• Storing or distributing pirated software, media, games, or other copyrighted content
• Facilitating copyright infringement or circumvention of DRM

5. Resource Usage and Fair Use

5.1 CPU and RAM Usage

• Services must be used in a manner consistent with their intended purpose
• Excessive CPU or RAM usage that impacts other customers may result in throttling or service upgrade requirement
• Processes consuming disproportionate resources may be terminated to maintain service stability
• Shared hosting customers must not run CPU-intensive applications or background processes

5.2 Disk Space and Bandwidth

• "Unlimited" bandwidth does not mean unrestricted usage; fair use policies apply
• Disk space must be used for legitimate website or application files, not long-term backup storage
• Using services primarily for data backup or file storage may result in service restrictions
• Hosting excessively large files or media libraries that impact system performance is prohibited

5.3 Database Usage

• Database queries must be optimized and not cause excessive load on shared servers
• Running poorly optimized queries that impact other customers may result in database access restriction
• Database storage should be used efficiently; excessively large databases may require upgrade

5.4 Email and SMTP Usage

• SMTP services must not be used for mass mailing or bulk email without proper authorization
• Email sending must comply with CASL and include proper unsubscribe mechanisms
• Excessive email sending may be restricted to prevent spam complaints
• Accounts generating spam complaints will be suspended pending investigation

6. Security Requirements

6.1 Account Security

You must maintain reasonable security practices:

• Use strong, unique passwords for all accounts and services
• Enable two-factor authentication where available
• Keep software, applications, and plugins up to date with security patches
• Properly configure firewalls and access controls
• Regularly review access logs and monitor for suspicious activity

6.2 Vulnerability Management

• You are responsible for securing your applications, websites, and data
• Known vulnerabilities must be patched promptly when notified
• Failure to address security vulnerabilities may result in service suspension to protect other customers
• We reserve the right to apply emergency security patches when necessary

6.3 Compromise Response

If your account or service is compromised:

• You must notify us immediately upon discovering any security breach
• We may suspend services temporarily to prevent further damage or abuse
• You are responsible for investigating and remediating security incidents
• We may require security improvements before restoring services

7. Reselling and Service Usage

7.1 Reselling Restrictions

• Reselling services without a formal reseller agreement is prohibited
• You may not sublease, transfer, or assign services without written authorization
• Services purchased for personal or business use may not be commercially resold
• Contact us at hello@sableservers.com for reseller partnership opportunities

7.2 Multiple Accounts

• Creating multiple accounts to circumvent service limitations is prohibited
• Multiple accounts for legitimate business purposes are permitted
• Accounts created to abuse promotional offers or free trials will be terminated

8. Intellectual Property

8.1 Copyright Compliance

You must respect intellectual property rights:

• Only host content you have rights to use or distribute
• Respond to DMCA or copyright infringement notices promptly
• Remove infringing content when notified by rights holders
• Repeat copyright infringement may result in account termination

8.2 Trademark Usage

• You may not use Sable Servers' trademarks, logos, or branding without permission
• You may not imply partnership, sponsorship, or endorsement by Sable Servers
• Authorized resellers must follow brand guidelines provided

9. Specific Service Policies

9.1 Web Hosting

• Must be used for legitimate websites and web applications
• Adult content is permitted only if legal and properly age-gated
• Image hosting or file sharing sites must have proper copyright compliance measures
• Streaming media sites must not violate copyright or licensing restrictions

9.2 Game Server Hosting

• Must comply with game publisher terms of service
• May not be used to host pirated or cracked game servers
• Servers must not facilitate cheating, hacking, or exploitation of game systems
• Commercial game servers must have appropriate licensing from publishers

9.3 Virtual Private Servers

• Root access carries responsibility for security and compliance
• Must not be used to attack or scan other systems
• Network abuse originating from your VPS is your responsibility
• IRC servers, botnets, and command & control servers are prohibited

10. Monitoring and Enforcement

10.1 Monitoring Rights

We reserve the right to:

• Monitor resource usage, bandwidth consumption, and system performance
• Investigate abuse complaints, security incidents, or terms violations
• Access your account to diagnose technical issues or security threats
• Review content if necessary to investigate potential violations

We do not actively monitor content but will investigate upon receiving complaints or detecting policy violations.

10.2 Abuse Reporting

If you believe a Sable Servers customer is violating this AUP, please report it to:

• Email: hello@sableservers.com with subject line "Abuse Report"
• Include detailed information about the violation
• Provide evidence such as URLs, timestamps, logs, or screenshots
• Reports will be investigated within 24-48 hours

10.3 Enforcement Actions

Violations of this AUP may result in:

• Warning: Email notification requesting compliance within specified timeframe
• Content Removal: Removal of specific violating content
• Service Suspension: Temporary suspension of services pending remediation
• Service Termination: Permanent termination of services without refund
• Legal Action: Reporting to law enforcement or pursuing civil remedies

Severe violations (illegal content, network attacks, etc.) may result in immediate suspension without warning.

11. Law Enforcement and Legal Requests

We cooperate with law enforcement and comply with valid legal requests:

• We will respond to valid court orders, subpoenas, and search warrants
• We may disclose customer information when required by Canadian law
• We will notify customers of legal requests unless prohibited by law or court order
• Emergency disclosure may be made to prevent imminent harm

For law enforcement requests, please contact: hello@sableservers.com with official documentation.

12. Reporting Security Vulnerabilities

Responsible security research is encouraged:

• Report vulnerabilities in our infrastructure to hello@sableservers.com
• Provide detailed information to help us reproduce and fix the issue
• Allow reasonable time for remediation before public disclosure
• Do not access, modify, or delete customer data during testing

Researchers acting in good faith will not face legal action for responsible disclosure.

13. International Usage

While our services are provided from Canada, we recognize customers may operate globally:

• Services must comply with Canadian law regardless of your location
• Content legal in your jurisdiction but illegal in Canada is prohibited
• Export control laws and sanctions must be respected
• You are responsible for compliance with laws in your jurisdiction

14. Policy Changes

We may update this AUP at any time:

• Material changes will be communicated via email 30 days in advance
• Continued use of services after changes constitutes acceptance
• The current version is always available on our website with the last updated date
• Emergency updates for security or legal compliance may be implemented immediately

15. Interpretation

This AUP should be interpreted consistently with:

• Our Terms of Service
• Privacy Policy
• Service Level Agreements
• Applicable Canadian federal and provincial laws

In case of conflict between this AUP and Terms of Service, the Terms of Service prevail.

16. Questions and Compliance Guidance

If you have questions about this AUP or need guidance on compliance:

We're here to help you understand and comply with this policy. Contact us if you're unsure whether a specific use case is permitted.