Anti-SPAM Policy
SPAM is the common name for the practice of sending of unsolicited email, SMS, IM or other messages to individuals or businesses. Put simply, it is the Internet’s version of junk mail.
EPI has a strict NO SPAM Policy
EPI takes a zero tolerance approach to the sending of all forms of SPAM messages, including, but not limited to, unsolicited e-mail, fax, text, instant messages, pop-up messages (aka “adware” or “spyware”) messages, online chat room advertisements, guestbook or website forum postings and other forms of unsolicited mass communication.
Customers may not use or permit others to use our network to transmit or otherwise deliver SPAM messages. Customer may not host, or permit hosting, of sites or information that is advertised by SPAM from other networks. In addition, it is not acceptable to transmit bulk email or other forms of EPI described SPAM messages through remote SOCKS, HTTP or other similar proxies who in turn relay or otherwise forward messages to end-customers or end-server destinations in an attempt to hide or circumvent EPI Anti-SPAM policies. This or other obfuscating techniques may result in account suspension or termination. Violations of this policy carry penalties (described below), including termination of service. In order to prevent unnecessary blacklisting due to SPAM we reserve the right to occasionally sample bulk email and other messages being sent from servers.
EPI e-mail servers monitor outgoing email and automatically notify EPI technical support staff when attempts to transmit large volumes of email through our servers.
You may not use any EPI hosted service whether owned by you, by EPI or by a third party to transmit or send unsolicited email or other forms of SPAM. Neither may you use any EPI provisioned email address as the ‘from’ or ‘reply-to’ email address on emails sent through other providers. If you are co-hosting or renting managed or unmanaged servers from EPI you cannot use the servers to directly or indirectly transmit SPAM messages.
You are not permitted to transmit unsolicited SPAM messages if such unsolicited messages could reasonably be expected to provoke complaints; In order to broadcast messages of any type you must meet or exceed CAN-SPAM compliance requirements. Among other requirements, this means that you must maintain an “opt-in” email or subscriber list and, if requested to do so by EPI, you must provide proof that individual subscribers have requested receipt of the information that you are sending them. EPI, at its sole discretion, may randomly solicit recipients of your email for verification of their desire to be on your mailing list.
Special Notice to Web Site Hosting Customers
EPI Web Site and related hosted service customers may not use web sites or other web services hosted by EPI to transmit more than 50 email messages per hour to a maximum of 500 email messages per day without a specific arrangement with EPI.
While EPI recognizes that clients may have their own valid reasons for wishing to transmit larger volumes of outbound emails from a web site or similar web service hosted by EPI, this is not the intended purpose of web site hosting services offered by EPI Internet Direct. Web sites that require such services must be hosted on EPI servers specifically designated for this purpose and clients will be required to reimburse EPI monthly fees to cover the additional costs of provisioning such services.
Regardless of whatever special arrangements may be made to permit the transmission of larger volumes of email, you must meet all EPI Anti-SPAM requirements which includes a requirement for proof of a valid ‘opt-in’ mailing list status, proof or a working ‘opt-out’ mechanism and proof that emails transmitted by your service include appropriate designations as to their source and the reason that emails from your web site or other web service are being received.
An example of an appropriate message might be “You are receiving this email from www.yourwebsiteURL.com because you have requested that you receive notices from <your organization name> about upcoming specials and other events. If you do not wish to receive these notices in the future, you may remove yourself from future mailings by <instruction>.”
Penalties
Violation of EPI’s anti-spam policy will result in penalties. Upon notification of an alleged violation of our spam policy, EPI will initiate an investigation. During the investigation, EPI may restrict customer access, suspend your service, or disconnect your service from our network. If you are found to be in violation of our SPAM policy, EPI may, at its sole discretion, restrict, suspend or terminate your account. Further, EPI reserves the right to pursue civil remedies for any direct or indirect costs associated with the investigation of a substantiated policy violation. EPI will notify law enforcement officials if the violation is believed to be a criminal offense.
First violations of this policy will result in an Administrative Fee of $250.00 and an additional Service Fee of $0.03 cents per SPAM email or other SPAM message, as counted by our anti-SPAM monitoring tools, and your account will be reviewed for possible immediate termination. A second violation will result in an Administrative Fee of $500.00 and an additional service fee of $0.06 cents per SPAM email and EPI may, at its sole discretion, immediately terminate your account.
Users who violate this policy agree that in addition to these Administrative and Service Fees, they will pay Research Fees not to exceed $175.00 per hour associated with any time that EPI personnel must spend to investigate the matter.
PLEASE, DO NOT SPAM!
As our Customer you are ultimately responsible for the actions of your employees and other users of your hosted service over the EPI network. It is advisable that Customers develop a similar, or stricter, policy for their clients.
If you attempt to circumvent EPI’s anti-SPAM policy by using the services of another provider but channeling such activities through an EPI account, re-mailer, or otherwise through an EPI service or using an EPI account as a mail-drop for responses or otherwise using the services of another provider for the purpose of facilitating the foregoing activities if such use of another party’s service you will be invoiced an Administrative fee of $500.00 and, at EPI’s discretion, your account will be terminated. On a second offence where you have circumvented EPI’s anti-SPAM policy you will be invoiced an Administrative fee of $1,000.00 and this fee will increase by $500.00 per offense until such time as you either stop circumventing our policies or your EPI account is suspended.
Anyone hosting websites or services on their server that support spammers or cause any of our IP space to be listed in any of the various Spam Databases will have their server immediately removed from our network and will be invoiced an Administrative Surcharge related to EPI’s cost of obtaining, allocating and deploying new, clean IP addresses. You service or server will not be reconnected until such time that you agree to remove ANY and ALL traces of the offending material immediately upon reconnection and agree to allow us access to the server to confirm that all material has been COMPLETELY removed.
Severe violations may result in immediate and permanent removal of your service or server from our network without notice. Any service or server found guilty of a second violation will be immediately and permanently removed from our network without notice.
Notice:
EPI Internet Direct reserves the right to make exceptions to these policies on a case-by-case basis, or to modify or change EPI Anti-SPAM policies at any time, without notice.