ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

1. PURPOSE

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") governs the use of all StartDotCom services, products, websites, applications, APIs, AI systems, integrations, marketplaces, hosted services, communication tools, automation tools, ecommerce features, CRM functionality, social publishing tools, and related offerings (collectively, the "Services").

This Policy forms part of the StartDotCom Terms of Service. All users, customers, partners, contractors, agencies, affiliates, marketplace participants, and third parties accessing the Services must comply with this Policy.

Failure to comply may result in:

• Account suspension
• Service restrictions
• Content removal
• Investigation
• Permanent account termination
• Legal action
• Reporting to authorities

2. GENERAL PRINCIPLE

The Services may only be used for lawful, ethical, authorised, and legitimate business purposes.

Users must not use the Services in any manner that:

• Violates applicable laws.
• Harms others.
• Compromises security.
• Misuses artificial intelligence systems.
• Infringes intellectual property rights.
• Damages StartDotCom systems or reputation.

StartDotCom reserves sole discretion in determining whether conduct violates this Policy.

3. FRAUDULENT ACTIVITY

Users must not engage in fraud or deceptive practices. Prohibited activities include:

• Identity fraud & Business impersonation
• Misrepresentation
• Payment fraud & Chargeback abuse
• Insurance fraud
• Financial, Investment & Cryptocurrency scams
• Pyramid & Ponzi schemes
• Fake testimonials & reviews
• False advertising & Deceptive business practices

4. SPAM AND UNSOLICITED COMMUNICATIONS

Users must not use the Services to distribute spam or unsolicited communications. Prohibited activities include:

• Sending bulk unsolicited email or SMS campaigns.
• Sending unsolicited direct messages.
• Using purchased or harvested contact lists.
• Scraping contact information & Lead database abuse.
• Automated spam campaigns or misleading marketing communications.

All marketing activities must comply with applicable laws including:

• UK GDPR
• PECR
• CAN-SPAM
• CASL

Users remain solely responsible for obtaining valid consent where required.

5. AI MISUSE

Users must not use StartDotCom AI systems to generate, facilitate, promote, or distribute:

• Illegal, Deceptive, or Fraudulent content
• Harmful or Defamatory content
• Malicious code
• Impersonation content
• Harassment or Hate content
• Violent threats
• Child exploitation material
• Terrorist content
• Criminal facilitation content

Users must not use AI systems to:

• Circumvent laws or commit fraud.
• Generate phishing materials, malware, or credential theft campaigns.
• Generate deceptive identities, fake compliance documents, fake government documents, or forged legal documents.

AI-generated outputs remain the responsibility of the user.

6. SOCIAL MEDIA ABUSE

Users must not use StartDotCom social media functionality to:

• Spread misinformation or conduct coordinated manipulation.
• Purchase fake engagement.
• Publish unlawful or infringing content.
• Circumvent platform restrictions or automate prohibited behaviour.
• Create deceptive social campaigns.

Users must comply with all applicable platform rules including those of Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Google Business Profile.

StartDotCom reserves the right to suspend integrations where misuse is suspected.

7. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY VIOLATIONS

Users must not:

• Upload stolen content or reproduce copyrighted works without authorisation.
• Infringe trademarks, patents, or trade secrets.
• Misappropriate proprietary information.

Users represent and warrant that they possess all rights necessary for content uploaded or processed through the Services.

StartDotCom reserves the right to remove allegedly infringing content without prior notice. Repeated violations may result in account termination.

8. SECURITY ABUSE

Users must not attempt to compromise the security, integrity, or availability of the Services. Prohibited activities include:

• Hacking & Vulnerability exploitation
• Credential attacks & Password spraying
• Brute force attacks
• Malware & Ransomware deployment
• Phishing campaigns
• Denial of service (DoS/DDoS) attacks
• Security testing or penetration testing without authorisation
• Reverse engineering security controls

Any security testing requires prior written approval from StartDotCom.

9. PLATFORM SCRAPING AND AUTOMATED ABUSE

Users must not:

• Scrape platform data, harvest user information, or mine datasets.
• Circumvent rate limits or create unauthorised bots.
• Extract proprietary content or replicate StartDotCom services.
• Train competing systems using StartDotCom content or outputs without permission.

Excessive automated activity may result in restrictions or suspension.

10. ILLEGAL BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

The Services may not be used to facilitate unlawful activities. Examples include:

• Money laundering
• Terrorist financing
• Human trafficking
• Child exploitation
• Illegal gambling
• Counterfeit products
• Intellectual property theft
• Stolen goods
• Financial crimes & Tax evasion

StartDotCom reserves the right to report suspected unlawful activity to relevant authorities.

11. ECOMMERCE RESTRICTIONS

Users must not sell, promote, market, distribute, or facilitate:

• Counterfeit or stolen goods.
• Fraudulent or illegal products.
• Products prohibited by applicable laws or mislabelled products.
• Products that infringe third-party rights.

Store owners remain solely responsible for product legality, compliance, fulfilment, and customer obligations.

12. MARKETPLACE AND SERVICE PROVIDER CONDUCT

Users participating in StartDotCom marketplaces, directories, partner programmes, or service ecosystems must:

• Act professionally and provide accurate information.
• Honour contractual obligations and avoid deceptive practices.

Prohibited conduct includes:

• Misrepresentation of qualifications or credentials.
• Non-delivery of contracted services.
• Fee manipulation or payment fraud.

StartDotCom may remove providers from marketplace participation at its sole discretion.

13. ABUSE OF FREE TRIALS, PROMOTIONS AND CREDITS

Users must not:

• Create multiple accounts to obtain additional free trials.
• Circumvent plan restrictions or manipulate promotional offers.
• Abuse referral programmes or artificially inflate usage metrics.

StartDotCom reserves the right to revoke benefits and suspend accounts engaged in abuse.

14. INVESTIGATIONS AND ENFORCEMENT

StartDotCom may investigate suspected violations. Investigations may include:

• Log reviews
• Content reviews
• Security reviews
• Traffic analysis
• Account verification
• Identity verification
• Third-party reporting

Users agree to cooperate with legitimate investigations.

Failure to cooperate may result in restrictions or termination.

15. REPORTING VIOLATIONS

To report violations or security concerns, please reach out to the appropriate teams:

Reports should include sufficient information to allow investigation.

16. ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS

Where violations are identified, StartDotCom may take actions including:

• Content removal
• Warning notices
• Temporary restrictions
• Account suspension
• Permanent termination
• Service limitation
• Data preservation
• Legal action & cooperation with authorities

StartDotCom is not required to provide advance notice before taking enforcement action where security, legal, or operational risks exist.

17. NO EXPECTATION OF CONTINUED ACCESS

Users acknowledge that access to the Services is conditional upon compliance with this Policy.

Violations may result in loss of access without compensation or refund where permitted by law.

18. CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

StartDotCom may update this Policy periodically.

Updated versions become effective upon publication unless otherwise stated. Continued use of the Services constitutes acceptance of revised versions.