Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") governs your use of the web hosting, domain, and related services provided by Eastern Shore Web Services, L.L.C. ("eshorews.com," "we," "us," or "our"). By using our services, you agree to comply with this AUP. We reserve the right to modify this AUP at any time.

1. Zero-Tolerance Spam Policy

We maintain a strict, zero-tolerance stance against the sending of unsolicited email, bulk emailing, and spam.

• Prohibition: You may not use our servers or network to send Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE) or engage in any bulk email activities that violate the CAN-SPAM Act or similar international regulations.
• Automated Rate Limits: To protect the integrity of our network and the deliverability of all clients' communications, outbound email is strictly rate-limited at the server level. Hosting accounts are not permitted to be used as mass-mailing or newsletter distribution platforms.
• IP Reputation: Any account that causes our IP space to be blacklisted by major email providers or anti-spam databases will be immediately suspended.
• Enforcement: We reserve the right to terminate any account found to be transmitting spam, with or without prior notice, and without a refund.

2. Resource Usage Limits

Our web hosting environment is a shared ecosystem. To ensure fast and reliable service for all clients, individual accounts may not consume an unreasonable amount of server resources (CPU, RAM, Disk I/O).

• Fair Use: You may not run persistent background processes, heavy automated scripts, or database queries that degrade the performance of the server for other users.
• Storage Restrictions: Our hosting services are intended for web-visible content. You may not use your hosting account as an offsite backup facility, personal cloud storage, or a file-sharing dump (e.g., storing large archives of media files not utilized by your active website).
• Intervention: If an account exceeds acceptable resource limits, we may temporarily throttle or suspend the account to protect the stability of the server.

3. Prohibited Content and Activities

You may only use our services for lawful purposes. You are strictly prohibited from storing, transmitting, or displaying any content that:

• Is Illegal: Violates any local, state, federal, or international laws, including the laws of the State of Maryland.
• Is Obscene or Hateful: Contains pornography, sexually explicit materials, or hate speech that promotes violence, discrimination, or harassment against individuals or groups based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.
• Infringes Intellectual Property: Contains unauthorized copyrighted materials, pirated software, "nulled" scripts, or counterfeit products.
• Hosts Malware: Distributes viruses, trojans, worms, ransomware, or phishing campaigns designed to steal user credentials.
• Is Harmful or Abusive: Contains child exploitation materials, promotes violence or terrorism, or is used to harass, defame, or threaten others.

4. Network Security and Integrity

You may not attempt to undermine the security or integrity of our network, servers, or other clients' accounts.

• Prohibited Software: Operating open proxies, anonymous networks (Tor exit nodes), IRC servers, or cryptocurrency miners is strictly prohibited.
• Interference: You may not perform Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, port scans, or any automated actions designed to probe vulnerabilities or disrupt network traffic.
• Access: Unauthorized attempts to access accounts, databases, or administrative systems that do not belong to you will result in immediate termination.

5. Enforcement and Suspensions

Eastern Shore Web Services, L.L.C. reserves the sole right to determine what constitutes a violation of this AUP.

• Depending on the severity of the violation, we may issue a warning, temporarily suspend your services, or permanently terminate your account.
• In the event of an AUP-related termination, no refunds will be issued for unused time or prepaid services.
• We reserve the right to report illegal activities to the appropriate law enforcement authorities.