NO SPAM / UCE Policy

Last updated: September 3, 2025 • Version 2.1

This NO SPAM / Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE) Policy (“Policy”) is part of AltusHost B.V.’s Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy. It applies to all users of AltusHost networks and services (including Business Web Hosting, Reseller Hosting, VPS, Dedicated Servers, and Colocation). Any abuse of email or messaging from our infrastructure is strictly prohibited.

1. Scope & Definitions
  • Spam / UCE: Any unsolicited or bulk electronic message (email or comparable electronic message) sent without valid prior consent, or in violation of applicable laws and industry norms.
  • Unsolicited Bulk Email (UBE): Email sent in large quantities to recipients who did not opt in.
  • Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE): Marketing or promotional email sent without consent or a legitimate interest that meets legal requirements.
  • Mail bombing: Sending large volumes of messages to a single user/system with the intent to disrupt.
  • Harassment: Threatening, abusive, or repeated unwanted messages after a request to stop.
2. Prohibited Activities
  • Sending Spam/UCE: You may not use AltusHost services to send unsolicited commercial or bulk messages. Using any address hosted on AltusHost to collect replies to messages sent from another network is also prohibited.
  • Purchased/harvested lists: Use of purchased, rented, scraped, or third-party lists is strictly prohibited.
  • Forging or obfuscation: Header forgery, deceptive subject lines, false or misleading identities, or hiding the origin of messages is prohibited.
  • Open relays/open proxies: Operating or using open SMTP relays, open proxies, or similar misconfigurations is prohibited.
  • Mail bombing & harassment: Sending large volumes to a single recipient/system or continuing to message after a request to stop is prohibited.
  • Newsgroups/forums/social platforms: Excessive cross-posting, off-topic posting, automated posting, or link/comment spam is prohibited.
  • Malware/phishing: Distribution of malware, phishing, or links to malicious content is prohibited.
3. Requirements for Permitted Email (Bulk/Marketing & Transactional)

You must meet all requirements below when sending any email via AltusHost infrastructure:

  • Consent: Obtain and retain proof of explicit opt-in (recommended double opt-in) for marketing lists. No purchased/third-party lists.
  • Identification: Include a valid “From” address, accurate sender identity, and a physical postal address in each marketing email.
  • Unsubscribe: Provide a clear one-click unsubscribe (or equivalent) in each marketing email, valid for at least 30 days; honor opt-outs promptly.
  • Bounce & complaint handling: Process hard bounces and unsubscribe or suppress those addresses immediately; remove addresses that generate repeated soft bounces.
  • Authentication: Publish and use SPF, DKIM, and (recommended) DMARC for all sending domains.
  • Role accounts: Avoid sending marketing to role addresses (e.g., admin@, info@, abuse@) unless you have clear consent.
  • Content standards: No deceptive subject lines or content; comply with applicable email and privacy laws.
4. Operational Limits & Throttling
  • Sending limits: Default per-account/per-domain limits may apply and can be adjusted at AltusHost’s discretion (see service documentation). We may throttle, queue, or block traffic to preserve network health.
  • Port controls: We may restrict or filter SMTP ports (e.g., 25/465/587) or outbound connections for abuse prevention.
  • Shared environments: On shared/reseller platforms, tighter limits and additional screening may apply.
5. Monitoring & Enforcement

We actively monitor for abuse signals (e.g., blocklist hits, abnormal volumes, bounce/complaint spikes). Upon detection or credible report:

  • Immediate actions: We may suspend sending, block traffic, null-route IPs, or disable accounts/services without prior notice.
  • Investigation: We may request samples, headers, consent logs, or campaign details. Failure to cooperate may result in termination.
  • Cleanup & remediation: You must remediate list hygiene, authentication, and consent practices before reinstatement.
6. Penalties, Fees & Termination
  • Cleanup fee: For confirmed violations, AltusHost may charge €200 per hour (minimum one hour) for mitigation and remediation (e.g., handling abuse reports, delisting IPs/domains, repairing impacted systems).
  • Costs & damages: You are responsible for third-party costs (e.g., blocklist delisting fees), regulatory fines attributable to your actions, and direct damages resulting from your abuse.
  • Termination: AltusHost may suspend or terminate services for Spam/UCE violations. Services terminated for abuse are not eligible for refunds.
7. Complaints & Reporting

If you suspect Spam/UCE originating from AltusHost networks, please forward the complete message with full headers to:

Provide timestamps (with timezone), sending IP, and any relevant logs to help us investigate swiftly.

8. Relationship to Other Policies

This Policy supplements our Acceptable Use Policy, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service. Where Policies conflict, AltusHost may enforce the stricter control to protect network integrity and legal compliance.

9. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. Material changes will be announced on our website and/or via email. Continued use of our services after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.