AUP and $500 fee
I was just in the midst of signing up for an account and decided it might be wise to read the Acceptable Use Policy. Although I have zero plans to operate any email related services such as lists I was a bit worried by this clause:
> If your actions have caused Linode.com mail servers or Linode.com IP address ranges to be placed on blackhole lists and other mail filtering software systems used by companies on the internet, you will be assessed a $500 charge to your account and $250 per hour for administrative charges incurred to remove and protect mail servers and IP ranges.
I have a nightmare vision of me starting some very small limited service that involves people signing up for email, then someone through accident or incompetence clicks the "Delete as Spam" button on their Earthlink or AOL account and next thing I know I have $500 charged to my VISA.
I might feel better if certain specific blacklists were listed here but "other mail filtering software systems used by companies on the internet" can include any IT person at any business who decided my mail (even non automated personal email, if for example I started using linode for that) is spam or inappropriate.
Just to calm me down, how often has this penalty been assesed in the past?
3 Replies
caker
Linode Staff
@ryantate:
Just to calm me down, how often has this penalty been assesed in the past?
Never. Those policies involving money are inherited from the AuP/ToS we agreed to at the various datacenters we use (namely, ThePlanet). Their, and our procedure when we get notices of SPAM is to give the user time to investigate, and if the problem isn't cleared up or the user is unresponsive we simply deactivate that account. The problem gets solved before it ever comes to that.
Hope that helps.
-Chris
