Acceptable Use Policy

1. General Notice
   1. Thank you for reading the Herotel Group’s Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). Any reference to the Herotel Group includes reference to all of its alliance companies.
   2. By accessing this website, or by contracting with us for service, you agree to be bound by this policy and the terms and conditions it contains.
   3. The purpose of this AUP is to comply with South African law, specify unacceptable activities, protect our network integrity, and outline consequences.
   4. The Herotel Group respects your rights to freedom of speech, privacy, and human dignity, and will only interfere when legally required or to prevent harm.
2. Unlawful Use
   1. Services may only be used for lawful purposes.
   2. Prohibited uses include: child pornography, obscenity, discrimination, hate speech, defamation, harassment, privacy violations, IP infringement, fraud, exchange control violations, pirated software, and ignoring opt-out requests.
   3. Users outside the Republic are subject to local laws, and Herotel may assist foreign LEAs with investigations as required.
3. Prohibited Activities
   1. 3.1 Threats to Network Security
      1. Unlawful access attempts or security circumvention.
      2. Hacking, spoofing, or forging headers.
      3. Disruptive attacks (DoS, flooding, scanning).
      4. Distributing viruses, malware, or harmful software.
      5. Unauthorized monitoring of network traffic.
      6. Unsolicited mass mailing or spam without consent.
   2. 3.2 Public Space and Third-Party Content
      1. Herotel does not control or take responsibility for content passing over the Internet or third-party websites.
      2. Access to public spaces (bulletin boards, forums, chat rooms) is voluntary and at your own risk.
   3. 3.3 Usenet Newsgroups
      1. Users must follow written policies of the newsgroup before posting.
      2. Prohibited practices include excessive cross-posting, off-topic material, binaries in non-binary groups, and unauthorized adverts.
   4. 3.4 Unsolicited, Spam and Junk Mail
      1. No sending unsolicited bulk mail without consent.
      2. Mailing list operators must have express permission from all recipients.
      3. Mail servers must be secured against public relay.
   5. 3.5 Spam/virus Filtering
      1. Herotel provides spam and virus filtering but is not liable for incorrectly classified messages or data loss.
   6. 3.6 Webmail
      1. Webmail services are provided “as is”.
      2. Commercial resale of Webmail services is prohibited.
4.  Abuse of the Service(s)
   1. Herotel may impose rules and limitations to prevent abuse and protect network integrity.
   2. Users must comply with bandwidth limits; non-compliance may lead to service restriction or termination.
   3. Business package users must not resell services or exploit them for commercial benefit.
5. Protection of Minors
   1. Herotel prohibits using its services to harm or exploit minors, including any illegal material.
6. Privacy and Confidentiality
   1. Customers should review Herotel’s Privacy Policy for how personal information is handled.
7. User Responsibilities
   1. Customers are responsible for misuse of services via their accounts.
   2. Parents/legal guardians are responsible for minors’ online conduct.
   3. Herotel is not liable for third-party transactions or purchases made over the network.
8. Notice and Take-down Procedures
   1. Herotel follows ISPA notice and take-down procedures for illegal material. Contact: 010 500 1200 or [email protected].
   2. Customers should review the ISPA Code of Conduct.
9. Complaints and procedures
   1. Complaints should be submitted in writing with as much detail as possible.
   2. Anonymous complaints may be acted upon if sufficient detail is provided.
10.  Action following breach of the AUP
    1. Possible actions: warnings, suspension, revocation of access, charges for administrative costs, assistance to other networks, civil or criminal proceedings, sharing information with LEAs.
11. Reservation and Non Waiver of Rights
    1. Herotel may amend this policy at any time and take action against individuals violating the AUP.
    2. Herotel reserves the right to monitor traffic, suspend services, remove offensive content, and is not liable for data security failures.
    3. Herotel does not waive its enforcement rights by failing to act on any breach.