ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY (AUP)
USAGE POLICY
The XIST2 Usage Policy has been developed with the following objectives:
- Ensure security, reliability and privacy of XIST2 systems and network, and the networks and systems of others.
- Maintain the image and reputation of XIST2 as a responsible provider.
- Preserve the value of Internet resources as a conduit for free expression.
- Encourage the responsible use of net resources and discourage practices which degrade the usability of network resources and thus the value of Internet services.
- Avoid situations that may cause XIST2 to incur civil liability.
- Preserve the privacy and security of individual users.
We expect our Customers to use the Internet with courtesy and responsibility and to be familiar with and to practice good Internet etiquette. By adhering to the following policies, our Customers are protecting the rights and privileges of all Internet users.
Violating any of the following policies is strictly prohibited and will result in:
- Immediate termination of all accounts
- Immediate suspension of websites
- Notification of suspected of illegal activities to the relevant authorities e.g. the Police and / or the Internet Watch Foundation
GENERAL CONDUCT
Customers are prohibited from transmitting on or through any of XIST2 services, any material that is, in XIST2 sole discretion, unlawful, threatening, abusive, libellous, or encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offence, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any local, state, national or international law, statute or regulation
XIST2 services may only be used for lawful purposes. Transmission, distribution, or storage of any information, data or material in violation of UK regulation or law is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, material protected by copyright, trademark, trade secret, or any other statute. XIST2 reserves the right to remove such illegal material from its servers
Customers may not engage in tortuous conduct including, but not limited to, posting of defamatory, scandalous, or private information about a person without their consent, intentionally inflicting emotional distress, or making physical threats against another person via email, news, or any other electronic media/service we provide
The Customer is responsible for providing and maintaining accurate and up-to-date billing information. Furnishing false data on the signup form, 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.
SYSTEM AND NETWORK USAGE
SECURITY
Customers must not attempt to bypass, defeat, or compromise the authentication or security of any host, network, service, or account (“unauthorised access”). This includes (without limitation):
- accessing data not intended for the Customer
- logging into any server, service, or account the Customer is not expressly authorised to access
- scanning, probing, or testing the vulnerability of any system or network without prior written permission
Customers must not attempt to disrupt, degrade, or interfere with service to any user, host, network, or system (“denial of service”). This includes (without limitation):
- network “flooding”
- deliberate attempts to overload services or infrastructure
- attempts to crash, destabilise, or impair any host, service, or network
Customers must not use any program, script, command, automated process, or messaging activity intended to interfere with, interrupt, monitor, or hijack another user’s session, terminal, or service—whether locally or via the Internet.
Customers are responsible for maintaining the security of their account credentials and must take reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised access, including safeguarding passwords and access keys.
Any Customer who violates system or network security may be subject to criminal and/or civil liability. XIST2 will cooperate fully with investigations into suspected security breaches or unlawful activity, including cooperation with law enforcement and other relevant authorities.
XIST2 reserves the right to access and inspect any server, service, or account within its network where it reasonably believes that these Terms and Conditions, or any applicable policies, are being breached.
BitTorrent software and peer-to-peer (P2P) protocol services are not permitted on the XIST2 network. Any server found to be running, hosting, or supporting BitTorrent or P2P activity—whether intentionally or through ongoing risk—may be suspended, disabled, and/or cancelled without notice.
Harassment is prohibited. This includes harassment through the content of messages, the frequency of contact, or the size/volume of communications.
Customers must not send email or other electronic messages to any person who has indicated they do not wish to receive them. If a recipient requests that communications stop, the Customer must immediately cease sending further messages to that recipient.
Customers are strictly prohibited from sending unsolicited bulk messages (“spam”). This includes (without limitation) bulk distribution of:
- commercial advertising or marketing
- informational announcements
- political messages or campaign materials
Such content may only be sent to recipients who have expressly opted in or otherwise explicitly requested it.
Customers must not create, forward, or otherwise propagate chain letters, whether or not the recipient has requested or consented to receive them.
Malicious or disruptive messaging activity is prohibited. This includes (without limitation):
- “mail bombing” (flooding a user, mailbox, or system with a large volume of email or unusually large messages)
- “trolling” (posting deliberately inflammatory or disruptive messages intended to provoke excessive responses or disruption)
Customers must not forge, falsify, or manipulate email headers, sender details, routing information, or any other identifying data.
Customers must not subscribe any third party to a mailing list, remove any third party from a mailing list, or otherwise modify another person’s mailing list status without that person’s explicit permission.
XIST2 accounts and services must not be used to collect, process, or receive replies to messages that were sent via another provider where the original messages breach this Usage Policy or the usage policy of the originating provider.
These requirements apply equally to all Internet-based communication and distribution methods, including but not limited to mailing lists, forums, and similar platforms. USENET postings are subject to additional rules and conventions (see below).
IRC (INTERNET RELAY CHAT) AND REAL-TIME MESSAGING
XIST2 is not responsible for the content of any communications sent or received via IRC or similar real-time messaging platforms.
Customers may not operate IRC robots, bots, clones, or automated sessions from XIST2 server accounts.
Customers must not impersonate other users or attempt to anonymize their identity on IRC by disguising their hostname, username, or other identifying information.
Customers must not use scripts, programs, or automated tools to disrupt, interfere with, or deny service to other users on any IRC server or host. Prohibited conduct includes, but is not limited to:
- Flooding: Rapidly sending messages to overwhelm or obscure other users’ displays
- Flashing: Disrupting terminal or client displays through excessive or malicious output
- Takeovers: Forcibly seizing operator privileges or control of channels
- Harassment: Sending unwanted private messages or attempting to bypass user-imposed restrictions such as “ignore”
- Ban evasion: Attempting to re-join channels or servers after being removed or banned
- Other behaviours intended to disrupt, annoy, or harass other users
Any violation of these rules may result in suspension, termination, or other restrictions on XIST2 services.
GENERAL USES
Customers may not permit the use of mail services, mail forwarding capabilities, POP accounts, or auto responders other than for the Customer’s own account.
Customers may not employ posts or programs that consume excessive CPU time or storage space. XIST2 reserves the right to kill off CPU intensive processes.
Customers may not use shared hosting services for back-ups, providing free hosting services or running proxies.
MATERIAL AND PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS
Customers must ensure that all material and data placed on XIST2 equipment is in a condition that is “server-ready,” which is in a form requiring no additional manipulation on XIST2 part. We shall make no effort to validate this information for content, correctness or usability. In the event that the Customer’s material is not “server-ready”, we have the option at any time to reject this material.
XIST2 will notify the Customer immediately of its refusal of the material and afford the Customer the opportunity to amend or modify the material to satisfy the needs and/or requirements of XIST2.
Use of XIST2 service requires a certain level of knowledge in the use of Internet languages, protocols, and software. This level of knowledge varies depending on the anticipated use and desired content of the Customer’s webspace. Customers must have the necessary knowledge to create and maintain a webspace. It is not the responsibility of XIST2 to provide this knowledge or customer support outside of the service defined in the Service Agreement.
RESOURCE USAGE AND PROHIBTED SOFTWARE
Customers must use shared server resources responsibly. Abusive usage, including excessive memory, CPU, or other system resources that impact other users, is strictly prohibited. XIST2 reserves the right to define acceptable thresholds to ensure fair usage, server stability, and network integrity.
Running unattended server-side processes, daemons, or long-running background tasks on shared servers is not permitted without explicit prior approval. This includes, but is not limited to, IRC servers, automated bots, or any software that interfaces with real-time messaging networks.
The following types of software or scripts are prohibited due to known security risks or potential for network abuse:
- Legacy or unmaintained bulletin board software or forum engines
- IRC bots, Egg Drop bots, or similar automated messaging tools
- Proxy servers, anonymizers, or mailers designed to obscure identity or send unsolicited communications
- Any script or program that opens interactive shell sessions without authorization
The examples above are illustrative and not exhaustive. Any software or activity deemed abusive, unsafe, or disruptive to XIST2 services is prohibited, even if not specifically listed.
Customers must ensure that any software hosted on XIST2 servers or advertised via our network complies with this Usage Policy and all applicable security and marketing standards. Misuse may result in immediate suspension or termination of services, regardless of any prior exceptions or approvals.
If a Customer is unsure whether a particular use or activity is permitted, XIST2 encourages enquiries via our online support form. Reports of suspected violations may be submitted via registered post to XIST2 headquarters or through official online channels.
CONTROLLING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:
- Whenever you are asked to fill in a form on the website, look for the box that you can click to indicate that you do not want the information to be used by anybody for direct marketing purposes.
- If you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by writing to or emailing us at info@xist2.com.
We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so. We may use your personal information to send you promotional information about third parties which we think you may find interesting if you tell us that you wish this to happen.
You may request details of personal information which we hold about you under the Data Protection Act 1998 and GDPR which came into effect on 25 May 2018. If you would like a copy of the information held on you please write to info@xist2.com.
If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible, at the above address. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.
OUR PROMISE TO YOU
We are committed to keep your data safe; we won’t sell it to third parties; we won’t send you unwarranted emails; and we won’t keep your data any longer than is needed.
OUR PRIVACY POLICY
This policy sets out how XIST2 uses and protects any information that you give us when you:
- Contact us by phone
- Instruct us to carry out an instruction
- Interact with us through our website
At XIST2, we are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Whenever we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified, you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement. We may change this policy from time to time by updating this page, which will represent the current statement of our policy at any time.
When XIST2 collects and processes your personal data we are doing so on our own behalf, and not on behalf of Systems Application Consulting Ltd trading as XIST2 is termed a data controller under the terms of data protection legislation.
SO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT’S RIGHT AND LEGAL
The law on data protection sets out a number of legitimate reasons for which a company may collect and process your personal data.
These include:
- Consent – for example, where you have given your permission to receive emails
- Contractual obligations – for example, where we need your data to fulfil our contract with you
- Legal compliance – for example, where the law requires us to do so
- Legitimate interest – where we require your data to pursue our legitimate interests in a way which might reasonably be expected as part of running our business and which does not impact your rights, freedoms or interests.
THE INFORMATION WE COLLECT
We may collect the following information:
- Your name
- Contact information including email address
- Other information relevant to your particular instruction
We do not collect or store any financial information
PURPOSE OF PERSONAL DATA PROCESSING
This sets out what information we collect, why it’s needed, and the legal basis for doing so.
SHARING PERSONAL DATA
We do not sell any personal information to any third parties. If we refer you to another company, for example in the event that services are needed which are beyond the scope of those we offer, then we will always give you the contact details of the company so that you can initiate the contact or we will ask your permission for your details to be provided to that company.
We will not send you unsolicited marketing material or pass your information to any companies who would do so.
KEEPING YOUR INFORMATION SECURE
We will retain your information for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected or as is required to meet legal or regulatory requirements; resolve disputes; prevent fraud and abuse; or to enforce our terms and conditions.
All data is held securely and, at the end of that retention period, your data will either be deleted completely or anonymised – for example by aggregation with other data so that it can be used in a non-identifiable way for statistical analysis and planning.
YOUR RIGHTS
We respect your rights regarding your personal information. These include:
You have the right to know how we process your personal data, and the right to access the information we hold about you, free of charge.
You have a right to be informed – this privacy policy sets out the purpose for which we process your personal data and how long we will keep your data.
You can correct personal data when incorrect, out of date or incomplete. This can be done by contacting our central administration office on +44 (0) 1865 679 131.
You can request that we delete your data, stop collecting or processing it, in some circumstances. This can be done by contacting our central administration team on +44 (0) 1865 679 131 or contacting them online and requesting for your data to be deleted. The response to such requests will need to reflect our legal responsibilities (for example, our legal requirement to be able to respond to complaints or claims made against work carried out). We are committed, however, to look into your request and inform you of our decision within 14 days.
You have the right to complain to your data protection regulator – in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office.
This policy is regularly reviewed to maintain compliance with current legislation.
Last updated 11/02/2026.
