Acceptable Use Policy

The following Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is designed to protect individual Internet users, WebInterstate Inc. customers, and WebInterstate Inc. from being victimized by hostile, illegal, or irresponsible behaviors.

Common sense governs all our policies and in general you will not violate our policy if you act in a decent manner. However, it is your responsibility to know and abide by our AUP.

This AUP applies not only to direct WebInterstate users, but users of any entity that is provided service to by WebInterstate. Examples may include, leased-line business customers, other Internet Service Providers purchasing bandwidth from WebInterstate, and users of customers purchasing colocation services from WebInterstate.

Illegal Activities

Under no circumstance will WebInterstate tolerate its services being used to break any applicable law or government regulation. Illegal activities may be reported to authorities. Examples include but are not limited to:

1. Unauthorized copying or distributing of copyrighted material.
2. Attempting to obtain unauthorized access to the accounts, computers, or systems of others.
3. Impersonating the identity of another person in name or likeness.
4. Exporting software or technical secrets in violation of law.
5. Promoting scams such as pyramid schemes, chain letters, or any other misrepresentation of services or products.
6. Threatening others with bodily harm or property destruction.
7. Distributing child pornography. We will consult the FBI if possible illegal distribution is suspected. WebInterstate will not make the judgment call in regards to its legality, but may remove the material until the FBI, or any other appropriate authority, informs us how to proceed.

Crimes Against the Network

It is WebInterstate's mission to provide superior access to all of its customers. To accomplish this goal WebInterstate needs to maintain the integrity of its servers and network. The following policies help ensure that one user does not degrade the service of other users.

1. You may not share any of your account and password information with others or allow them to use your account.
2. Denial of service attacks will not be tolerated in any form. These include, but are not limited to taking advantage of bugs in systems or routers to degrade their performance, excessive bandwidth or disk storage or any action that can create abnormally high bandwidth or processor utilization.
3. Activity which seriously diminishes the capability of others to use any of WebInterstate's services or affects the general Internet.
4. Attempts to gain unwelcome access to other computers, accounts, or another's in-transit data are violations.
5. Distributing viruses or worms to or from WebInterstate systems or networks.
6. Use of software devices to keep you logged in when you are not actively using your account.

Spam

Spam wastes WebInterstate's resources and all the resources of networks between WebInterstate and the recipient. In addition, we spend hundreds of dollars cleaning up after spamming incidents. Thus it is a violation of our policy to engage in any of the following activities by sending unsolicited email whether it is commercial or not to a large number of users using:

1. A WebInterstate account
2. WebInterstate connectivity
3. A WebInterstate mail server
4. or referencing a web site hosted within WebInterstate's network within the email message
5. or forging the header information within an email to disguise the source or identity of the person sending the message
6. or sending multiple copies of the same message to the same person
7. or sending a message where it is likely that the recipient will object to the content of the message
8. or posting messages in USENET that are in violation of that group's charter
9. or posting a message unnecessarily to multiple newsgroups. No excessive cross-posting

Participating in any of the above activities, even if performed outside of WebInterstate's services, is considered a violation of this policy if such participation is determined by WebInterstate management to have a negative impact on WebInterstate's network, services, public image, or professional reputation. For example, if someone spams using email services completely outside of WebInterstate to attempt to draw visitors to a website in any way associated with WebInterstate's network or services, it will be considered a violation.

Other

The following are other policies of WebInterstate Inc.

WebInterstate has given all accounts with email access a quota. If any mailbox exceeds the quota, WebInterstate reserves the right to move, compress, or otherwise limit that box to the quota amount. Attempts will be made to minimize any loss of data from such mailbox.

Untimely payment may result in an account being suspended or removed. Multiple attempts will be made to contact a user before account removal. However, if we cannot contact the owner of the account, if our requests are ignored, or the account remains unpaid WebInterstate is not responsible for removed data.

As a rule WebInterstate does not monitor data or traffic residing within its network or flowing through its network except for system utilization and billing purposes. However, WebInterstate reserves the right to view or edit email boxes which are in violation of the AUP or need to be fixed due to corruption or other similar needs. WebInterstate also reserves the right to view an individual's traffic in cases of network security issues or if violation of the AUP is suspected. In no case will that information be given to a third party unless required by court order.

Users who use WebInterstate's network or other services to send or post any material are responsible to know the laws governing that material. WebInterstate does not monitor or accept any responsibility for any material sent, received, posted, or residing on any WebInterstate server. As mentioned above, if we become aware of illegal activities authorities may be contacted. WebInterstate always will fully cooperate with the legal requests of any law authority.

Violations of this AUP may result in one or any combination of the following:

1. Verbal or written warnings
2. Account suspension
3. Account termination and removal
4. Billing for any administrative, legal, or cleanup costs

Even though it is the sole discretion of WebInterstate the principles and management of WebInterstate will try to act in an appropriate manner to fit the infraction. Minor violations will most likely result in warnings, and consideration will be given as to whether the violation was intentional or accidental.

Failure of WebInterstate Inc. to enforce any part of this AUP does not release any user from being subject to future enforcement of that item. All services provided by WebInterstate are subject to the company's standard Terms & Conditions, which may be obtained from your WebInterstate representative.

WebInterstate reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.

Created March 2004

Last Modified July 2006

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