Horizon Net Acceptable Use Policy

Introduction

You have probably seen an increase in the amount of "junk mail" which shows up in your e-mail box, or on your favorite newsgroup. The activities of a small number of people are becoming a bigger problem for the Internet. Horizon Net now has an Acceptable Use Policy for it's subscribers. Please read this so that you can know what is and what is not acceptable use of our services.

The Horizon Net Acceptable Use Policy has been formulated with the following goals in mind:

• Ensure security, reliability and privacy of Horizon Net's systems and network, and the networks and systems of others
• Avoid situations that may cause Horizon Net to incur civil liability
• Maintain the image and reputation of Horizon Net as a responsible provider
• Preserve the value of Internet resources as a conduit for free expression
• Encourage the responsible use of net resources, discouraging practices which degrade the usability of network resources and thus the value of Internet services
• Preserve the privacy and security of individual users

Please note that the actions listed below are also not permitted from other Internet Service Providers on behalf of, or to advertise, any service hosted by Horizon Net, or connected via the Horizon Net network. Furthermore, such services may not be advertised via deceptive marketing policies.

General Conduct

1. Customers are prohibited from transmitting on or through any of Horizon Net's services, any material that is, in Horizon Net's sole discretion, unlawful, obscene, threatening, abusive, libelous, or hateful, or encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any local, provincial, state, national or international law.
2. Horizon Net services may only be used for lawful purposes. Transmission, distribution, or storage of any information, data or material in violation of Canadian or provincial regulation or law, or by the common law, is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, material protected by copyright, trademark, trade secret, or any other statute. Horizon Net reserves the right to remove such illegal material from its servers.
3. The customer is responsible for keeping his billing data with Horizon Net up-to-date and accurate. Furnishing false data on signup, contract, or online application, including fraudulent use of credit card numbers, is grounds for immediate termination, and may subject the offender to civil or criminal liability.
4. The resale of Horizon Net products and services is not permitted, unless specifically permitted and documented in a written agreement.

System and Network Security

1. Customers may not attempt to circumvent user authentication or security of any host, network, or account ("cracking"). This includes, but is not limited to, accessing data not intended for the Customer, logging into a server or account the Customer is not expressly authorized to access, or probing the security of other networks.
2. Customers may not attempt to interfere with service to any user, host, or network ("denial of service attacks"). This includes, but is not limited to, "flooding" of networks, deliberate attempts to overload a service, and attempts to "crash" a host.
3. Customers may not use any kind of program/script/command, or send messages of any kind, designed to interfere with a user's terminal session, via any means, locally or by the Internet.
4. Users who violate systems or network security may incur criminal or civil liability. Horizon Net will cooperate fully with investigations of violations of systems or network security at other sites, including cooperating with law enforcement authorities in the investigation of suspected criminal violations.

E-mail - Prohibited Actions of Usage

1. Harassment, whether through language, frequency, or size of messages, is prohibited.
2. Customers may not send email to any person who does not wish to receive it. If a recipient asks to stop receiving email, the customer must not send that person any further email.
3. Customers are explicitly prohibited from sending unsolicited bulk mail messages ("junk mail" or "spam"). This includes, but is not limited to, bulk-mailing of commercial advertising, informational announcements, and political tracts. Such material may only be sent to those who have explicitly requested it.
4. Customers may not forward or otherwise propagate chain letters, whether or not the recipient wishes to receive such mailings.
5. Malicious e-mail, including but not limited to "mailbombing" (flooding a user or site with very large or numerous pieces of email), is prohibited.
6. Attempting to cancel, supersede, or otherwise interfere with e-mail other than one's own.
7. Using an account at another provider to promote a Horizon Net Web site in a prohibited manner.
8. Using a Horizon Net account or network connection to collect replies to messages sent from another provider which violate these rules or those of that provider.
9. Reselling Horizon Net services to third parties who do not abide by these guidelines.
10. Forging of header information.
11. Collecting replies to messages sent from another Internet Service Provider, where those messages violate this Acceptable Use Policy or the Acceptable Use Policy of that other provider.
12. Using other ISP's Mail Servers to forward or relay mail without permission for any purpose.
13. These rules apply to other types of Internet-based distribution mediums as well, such as RLG's Ariel system (a system for sending FAX-like documents over the Internet).

USENET - NEWSGROUP GUIDELINES

It is important for subscribers to make themselves aware of the various conventions, guidelines and local culture in newsgroups before becoming an active participant. Read the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) sections of newsgroups if available.

Horizon Net provides an uncensored newsfeed. As such, Horizon Net does not control the content of the newsgroups available to its customers. Horizon Net is not responsible for the content of any USENET posting, whether or not the posting was made by a Horizon Net customer.

Participating successfully in newsgroups is a matter of common sense and courtesy. Most subscribers are able to use their own sense of what is appropriate to guide their behavior. However, there will always be innocent, inadvertant postings; there will also always be malicious, intentional postings.

Postings to USENET newsgroups must comply with the written charters or FAQs for those newsgroups. Advertisements should only be posted in those newsgroups whose charters/FAQs explicitly permit them. The poster is responsible for determining the etiquette of a given newsgroup, prior to posting to it. The vast majority of newsgroups are NOT commercial and participants in those newsgroups will object strongly to commercial traffic. If you have any questions about a commercial article, you should review the newsgroup's FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) or charter document.

NEWSGROUP TERMS OF SERVICE VIOLATIONS

1. Customers are prohibited from posting the same or similar message to large numbers of newsgroups (excessive cross-posting or multiple-posting, also known as "USENET spam").
2. Chain letters are prohibited. Posting a chain letter to newsgroups (or via e-mail on the Internet) is not allowed. If you receive a chain letter from another Horizon Net subscriber, report it to abuse@horizon.bc.ca immediately. If you receive a chain letter from someone on the Internet, contact the postmaster at their site (using postmaster@their.domain.name; for example, postmaster@umd.edu).
3. Customers are prohibited from posting binary files to newsgroups not specifically named for that purpose.
4. Customers are prohibited from cancelling or superseding posts other than their own, with the exception of official newsgroup moderators performing their duties.
5. Customers are prohibited from forging header information. This includes attempting to circumvent the approval process for posting to a moderated newsgroup.

Individual Accounts (Dialup Users Only)

1. Horizon Net dialup accounts are intended for use by an individual. Multiple logins are not permitted. If multiple logins are detected, all logins will be terminated. Horizon Net reserves the right to change or restrict the multiple log-in policy at any-time without notice.
2. Shell account users may not run programs which provide network services from their accounts, such as IRC or MUD servers.
3. Horizon Net shell accounts are intended for interactive use. Attempts to circumvent the 'idle daemon' or time charges accounting, or attempts to run programs while not logged in by any method, are prohibited.
4. Horizon Net shell accounts operate on shared resources. Customers are prohibited from excessive consumption of resources, including CPU time, memory, disk space, and session time. The use of resource-intensive programs which negatively impact other system users or the performance of Horizon Net systems or networks is prohibited, and Horizon Net staff may take action to limit or terminate such programs.
5. Password security is the responsibility of the individual user. Good passwords should be a minimum of six characters long, contain at least one number or symbol, and are not based on any dictionary word or common name.

TERMS OF SERVICE ACTIONS

Most valid complaints against a subscriber will result in the subscriber receiving a warning.

Second instances of abuse will result in your account(s) being closed without refund.

Horizon Net reserved the right to invoice individuals who have intentionally created a problem such as SPAMING which requires time be spent by our technical and administrative staff to resolve.

Horizon Net reserves the right to amend these policies as required.

SUBMITTING COMPLAINTS

To report a violation, send a complete copy of the article or e-mail message to abuse@horizon.bc.ca.

Questions about this policy should be sent via e-mail to support@horizon.bc.ca.