Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)

1. Introduction#

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") governs your use of Galaxy Gaming Host LLC's ("we," "us," "our") Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting, game server hosting, and related services. This AUP is incorporated into and forms part of our Terms of Service.

Purpose: To ensure our infrastructure remains secure, stable, and available for all customers while protecting the internet community from abuse.

Enforcement: Violations may result in service suspension, termination, legal action, and reporting to law enforcement.

2. Prohibited Activities#

2.1 Illegal Activities#

Absolutely Forbidden: - Any activity violating federal, state, local, or international laws - Distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) - zero tolerance, immediate law enforcement report - Terrorist content or recruitment materials - Human trafficking or exploitation - Sale of illegal drugs, weapons, or contraband - Hacking, unauthorized access, or computer fraud - Identity theft or financial fraud - Money laundering or terrorist financing - Violating export control or sanctions laws

Our Response: - Immediate service termination - No refund - Law enforcement notification - Full cooperation with investigations - Preservation of evidence

2.2 Malicious Software and Attacks#

Prohibited: - Malware: Viruses, trojans, worms, ransomware, spyware, rootkits - Exploits: Hosting or distributing zero-day exploits, vulnerability scanners - Botnets: Operating command and control servers or participating in botnets - DDoS Attacks: Launching, facilitating, or coordinating distributed denial of service attacks - Network Attacks: SYN floods, UDP floods, amplification attacks, packet flooding - Port Scanning: Unauthorized scanning of other networks or hosts - Brute Force: Password cracking attempts against third-party systems - Intrusion: Attempting to gain unauthorized access to systems or networks - DoS Tools: Hosting stressers, booters, or other DoS-for-hire services

Clarifications: - Security research on your own systems: ✅ Allowed - Penetration testing with written authorization: ✅ Allowed (notify us first) - Hosting penetration testing tools for legitimate use: ✅ Allowed - Scanning or attacking third parties without permission: ❌ Forbidden

2.3 Spam and Unsolicited Communications#

Email Spam: - Sending unsolicited commercial email (UCE/spam) - Operating open mail relays or proxies used for spam - Harvesting email addresses without consent - "Verified opt-in" lists you didn't personally verify - Purchased email lists - Violating CAN-SPAM Act requirements

Other Spam: - SMS/text message spam - Social media spam (automated follows, likes, messages) - Forum or comment spam - Referrer spam or SEO spam - IRC/Discord spam or flooding - VoIP spam or robocalls

Acceptable Email Marketing: - ✅ Legitimate opt-in lists with clear consent - ✅ Transactional emails (receipts, notifications) - ✅ B2B emails to relevant business contacts - ✅ Following CAN-SPAM: unsubscribe links, physical address, truthful headers

Thresholds: - Complaint rate over 0.1% (1 per 1,000 emails) triggers investigation - Blacklist listings result in suspension until resolved - Multiple complaints = immediate review

2.4 Copyright and Intellectual Property#

DMCA Violations: - Hosting pirated software, games, movies, music, or ebooks - Operating torrent trackers for copyrighted content - Warez sites or file lockers with pirated content - Streaming pirated sports, movies, or TV shows - Cracked software repositories - ROM sites with copyrighted games

Allowed: - ✅ Personal backups of media you own - ✅ Open-source software distribution - ✅ Public domain or Creative Commons content - ✅ Content you created or have rights to - ✅ Authorized distribution (proof required)

Notice and Takedown: - We comply with DMCA - valid notices result in content removal - Repeat offenders will be terminated - Counter-notices accepted for false claims - See our separate DMCA Policy

2.5 Adult Content#

Generally Prohibited Unless Approved: - Pornography or sexually explicit content - Adult dating or escort services - Adult live streaming or webcam services

May Be Approved Case-by-Case: - Adult content hosting with proper age verification - Legitimate adult entertainment businesses - Must comply with 18 U.S.C. § 2257 record-keeping

Request Approval: - Email [email protected] before hosting adult content - Describe your use case and compliance measures - We reserve right to deny without explanation

Always Prohibited: - Any content sexualizing minors - Non-consensual pornography ("revenge porn") - Content violating sex trafficking laws

2.6 Cryptocurrency Mining#

Restrictions: - Unauthorized mining: Forbidden (excessive CPU usage, degrades service) - CPU mining on shared resources: Forbidden - Cryptojacking scripts: Forbidden

Allowed with Approval: - ✅ GPU mining on dedicated VPS (if you have sufficient resources) - ✅ Mining pools or nodes with advance notification - ✅ Blockchain validation nodes

Request Approval: - Email support describing your mining operation - We'll evaluate resource impact - May require dedicated resources or upgraded plan

2.7 Proxy and VPN Services#

Restrictions: - Open proxies: Forbidden (abused for spam and attacks) - Anonymization services: Requires approval - VPN exit nodes: Requires approval and abuse monitoring

May Be Approved: - ✅ Private VPN for personal/corporate use - ✅ VPN with proper abuse handling and DMCA agent - ✅ Legitimate anonymization services with accountability

Must Implement: - DMCA agent registration if providing public access - Abuse contact and complaint handling - Logging sufficient for law enforcement (where legally required) - Terms of Service prohibiting illegal use

Never Allowed: - Exit nodes for Tor without advance coordination - "Bulletproof hosting" or intentionally unmonitored proxies

2.8 Resource Abuse#

Prohibited: - CPU Abuse: Sustained 100% CPU usage for extended periods (hours) - Memory Abuse: Excessive RAM usage causing swapping or OOM kills - Disk I/O Abuse: Saturating disk with excessive read/write operations - Bandwidth Abuse: Saturating network links - "Fork Bombs": Processes spawning unlimited children - Intentional Degradation: Activities designed to impact other customers

Fair Use: - Bursts of high CPU/RAM: ✅ Expected and allowed - Sustained reasonable usage: ✅ Fine - Legitimate intensive applications: ✅ Acceptable (may need upgrade)

We May: - Throttle abusive processes - Contact you to optimize or upgrade - Migrate you to dedicated resources - Suspend service if unresponsive

2.9 Network Abuse#

Prohibited: - IP Spoofing: Sending packets with forged source addresses - BGP Hijacking: Announcing unauthorized IP space - Route Manipulation: Attempting to manipulate routing tables - ARP Spoofing: Intercepting traffic on local network - Traffic Interception: Sniffing or MITM attacks - Unauthorized Monitoring: Capturing other customers' traffic

Network Scanning: - ❌ Scanning the internet indiscriminately - ❌ Scanning networks you don't own - ✅ Scanning your own infrastructure (notify us of large scans)

2.10 Fraudulent Activity#

Prohibited: - Payment Fraud: Stolen credit cards, chargebacks after using service - Identity Theft: Using others' information - Phishing: Hosting phishing sites or sending phishing emails - Scams: Investment scams, fake shops, pyramid schemes - Fake Reviews: Hosting services for fake review generation - Click Fraud: Generating fraudulent ad clicks - Credential Stuffing: Automated login attempts with stolen credentials - Account Takeover: Compromising others' accounts - Fake Certificates: Generating or distributing fake SSL certificates

2.11 Harassment and Hate Speech#

Prohibited: - Doxxing: Publishing private information to harass individuals - Harassment: Targeted campaigns to harm, intimidate, or silence others - Hate Speech: Content inciting violence or hatred against groups (race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, disability) - Swatting Services: Facilitating false emergency calls - Stalking Tools: Applications designed to stalk or harass

Free Speech Balance: - We support free expression but not targeted harassment - Political speech, even controversial: Generally allowed - Incitement to violence: Not allowed - Hate groups' organizing materials: Not allowed

Case-by-Case: - We evaluate reports individually - Context matters - Repeated behavior vs. isolated incidents - Impact on victims

2.12 Game Server Specific#

Prohibited: - Pirated Game Clients: Modified or cracked game files - License Violations: Violating game publisher Terms of Service - Cheating Services: Cheat development or distribution - Exploit Hosting: Sites distributing game exploits - Account Selling: Third-party game account trading (often violates publisher ToS) - Gold Selling: Real-money trading (RMT) if prohibited by game

Allowed: - ✅ Legitimate game servers following publisher rules - ✅ Modded servers (if permitted by publisher) - ✅ Private servers (if legal/authorized) - ✅ Game server hosting services

Your Responsibility: - Moderate user-generated content on your servers - Implement abuse reporting for your players - Comply with game publisher requirements - Remove copyrighted content uploaded by users

2.13 High-Risk Activities Requiring Approval#

The following require advance written approval:

Financial Services: - Payment processing or cryptocurrency exchanges - Forex or trading platforms - Online gambling or betting sites - Crowdfunding platforms

Communication Platforms: - VoIP services - Video streaming platforms - User-generated content platforms

Reason: These attract attacks, abuse, and regulatory scrutiny.

To Request: - Email [email protected] - Describe business model, compliance, and abuse handling - Demonstrate financial stability and legal compliance

2.14 Other Prohibited Uses#

Miscellaneous: - Evading Bans: Circumventing suspensions or terminations - Service Resale: Reselling our services without authorization (ask about our reseller program) - Unauthorized Testing: Penetration testing our infrastructure without written permission - Interference: Disrupting our services or other customers - False Information: Providing false information during signup - Terms Evasion: Attempting to evade monitoring or terms enforcement

3. Reporting Abuse#

3.1 How to Report#

Email: [email protected] Subject line: begin with [ABUSE] so your report is prioritized correctly

Include: - Your contact information - Description of abuse - Server IP address or domain - Evidence (screenshots, email headers, logs) - Date and time of incidents

3.2 We Investigate#

Our Process: 1. Review within 24 hours 2. Verify abuse occurred 3. Identify responsible customer 4. Take appropriate action (warning, suspension, termination) 5. Follow up with reporter

Anonymous Reports: Accepted but harder to investigate without follow-up contact.

3.3 False Reports#

Consequences: - Knowingly false abuse reports may result in legal action - Don't weaponize abuse reports to harm competitors

4. Enforcement#

4.1 Monitoring#

What We Monitor: - Network traffic patterns (not content) - Resource utilization - Bandwidth usage - Abuse reports from third parties - Blacklist listings

What We Don't Monitor: - Individual email or file contents (unless investigating abuse) - Private communications - Encrypted traffic contents

4.2 Violation Responses#

Severity-Based:

Minor (First Offense): - Warning via email/ticket - Request to cease activity - 24-48 hours to comply - Example: Mild resource overuse

Moderate: - Service suspension (24-72 hours) - Must acknowledge violation and commit to compliance - May require plan upgrade or configuration changes - Example: Spam complaints, copyright notice

Severe: - Immediate termination - No refund - Potential legal action or law enforcement report - Example: Illegal content, attacks, serious fraud

Suspension Process: 1. Service disabled 2. Email notification with reason 3. Respond to ticket to resolve 4. Must correct issue and confirm compliance 5. Service restored or permanently terminated

4.3 Appeals#

If You Disagree: - Respond to suspension/termination notification - Provide evidence supporting your case - We'll review within 48 hours - Decision is final unless new evidence emerges

Good Faith Mistakes: - If we made an error, we'll apologize and restore service - Credits or refunds for erroneous suspensions

4.4 Zero Tolerance Items#

Immediate Termination + Law Enforcement: - Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) - Terrorist content - Violent threats or credible harm - Active attacks on others

No Appeal: - These violations are non-negotiable - Evidence preserved for authorities

5. Your Responsibilities#

5.1 Secure Your Server#

You Must: - Keep software updated and patched - Use strong passwords and SSH keys - Configure firewalls appropriately - Monitor for compromises - Implement security best practices

If Compromised: - We may suspend to protect the network - You must clean and secure before restoration - Repeated compromises may result in termination

5.2 Monitor Your Services#

User-Generated Content: - If you host platforms with user uploads, you're responsible - Implement moderation and abuse reporting - Respond promptly to abuse notices - Remove infringing content when notified

Game Servers: - Moderate player behavior - Remove copyrighted player uploads - Ban abusive players - Implement chat filters if needed

5.3 Respond to Notices#

Timely Response: - Respond to abuse notices within 24 hours - Failure to respond may result in suspension - Check your email and support tickets regularly

6. Safe Harbor Provisions#

6.1 DMCA Safe Harbor#

If you host user-generated content: - Register a DMCA agent with Copyright Office - Implement notice-and-takedown procedures - Adopt repeat infringer policy - Don't have actual knowledge of infringement

6.2 Other Immunities#

Platform vs. Publisher: - If you host others' content, ensure you qualify for Section 230 or similar protections - Don't exercise editorial control over user content - Respond to valid legal notices

7. Cooperation with Law Enforcement#

7.1 Legal Requests#

We Comply With: - Valid subpoenas - Court orders - Search warrants - National security letters (where legally required)

We May Notify You (unless prohibited by law or court order)

7.2 Preservation Requests#

If Requested: - We'll preserve data relevant to investigations - You may be prohibited from destroying evidence - Violation may result in criminal charges

8. International Considerations#

8.1 Cross-Border Content#

Be Aware: - Content legal in one country may be illegal in another - You're responsible for compliance with all applicable laws - We primarily operate under U.S. law

Examples: - Gambling: Legal in some jurisdictions, not others - Hate speech: More restricted in Europe than U.S. - Privacy: GDPR in EU, different rules in U.S.

8.2 Export Controls#

Restrictions: - Don't provide services to embargoed countries - No access from sanctioned individuals or entities - Comply with U.S. export control laws

9. Changes to This Policy#

Updates: - We may update this AUP at any time - Material changes announced via email - Continued use = acceptance - Review periodically

Effective Date: Changes effective upon posting unless otherwise stated

10. Questions and Contact#

10.1 Questions About Policy#

General Inquiries: - Email: [email protected] - We're happy to clarify what is/isn't allowed before you start

10.2 Request Approval#

For Gray-Area Activities: - It's always better to ask first - We'll respond within 48 hours - Get it in writing before proceeding

Abuse Contact: - Email: [email protected] - 24/7 monitoring - Response within 24 hours

11. Summary#

Simple Guidelines: - ✅ Use services legally and ethically - ✅ Respect others' rights and property - ✅ Keep your server secure - ✅ Respond to abuse notices promptly - ❌ No illegal content or activities - ❌ No attacks, spam, or malware - ❌ No copyright infringement - ❌ Don't abuse resources or network

When in Doubt: Ask us first at [email protected]

Remember: What you do on your VPS affects all of our customers and our reputation. Use responsibly.

Acceptable Use Policy