Acceptable Use Policy

This Acceptable Use Policy (the "AUP") sets out the rules for use of RootPacket's network and Services. It forms part of, and is incorporated into, the Terms of Service. It applies to every customer, and to anyone using the Services through a customer's account. Capitalised terms have the meaning given in the Terms of Service.

1. Purpose & scope

The purpose of this AUP is to protect the security, stability, and reputation of our network, our other customers, and third parties, and to ensure compliance with Dutch and EU law. You are responsible for all use of the Services under your account, including by your own customers and end users, and for ensuring they comply with this AUP.

2. Illegal use

You must not use the Services to store, transmit, host, or facilitate anything that is unlawful under Dutch or EU law, or under the law applicable to you or your end users. This includes, without limitation:

• Content or activity that infringes intellectual property, privacy, or publicity rights.
• Fraud, identity theft, financial crime, or money laundering.
• Distribution of malware, ransomware, exploit kits, or command-and-control infrastructure.
• Content that incites violence, terrorism, or unlawful discrimination, or that is otherwise prohibited under the Dutch Criminal Code (Wetboek van Strafrecht).

3. Child protection

4. Network abuse

You must not engage in, or permit, activity that harms the network or others, including:

• Denial-of-service (DoS/DDoS) attacks, amplification, or reflection, whether as source or intermediary.
• Unauthorised access, penetration testing of third-party systems without authorisation, port or vulnerability scanning of networks you do not control.
• Operating open mail relays, open DNS resolvers, or open proxies that can be abused.
• Traffic that disrupts, degrades, or threatens the integrity of our network or upstream carriers, or that breaches the policies of those carriers.
• Circumventing usage limits, access controls, or security measures.

5. IP addresses & routing

• IP addresses assigned to you remain the property of RootPacket or the relevant registry and are non-transferable. You must use them in accordance with RIPE NCC policies and justify usage on request.
• You must not announce, route, or hijack IP space or AS numbers you are not authorised to use, or spoof source IP addresses.
• BGP sessions must be operated in line with good routing practice (including route filtering and anti-spoofing where applicable).

6. Email & anti-spam

Sending unsolicited bulk or commercial email (spam) is prohibited, in line with the Dutch Telecommunications Act (Telecommunicatiewet) and EU rules. You must only send email to recipients who have consented or with whom you have a valid existing relationship, honour unsubscribe requests, maintain valid reverse DNS and authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and not forge headers or relay through third parties. We may rate-limit or block mail traffic to protect our network's reputation.

7. Content & intellectual property

You are solely responsible for the content and data you host or transmit and must hold all necessary rights. You must not host or distribute material that infringes the copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights of third parties.

8. Security obligations

• Keep your systems patched, hardened, and protected against compromise.
• Secure credentials and access; do not leave services unnecessarily exposed.
• Respond promptly to security and abuse notifications from us, and remediate compromised systems.
• You are responsible for the actions of compromised systems under your control; failure to remediate may lead to suspension.

9. Notice & takedown

RootPacket operates a notice-and-takedown process consistent with the Dutch Notice-and-Takedown Code of Conduct (Gedragscode Notice-and-Takedown) and the EU Digital Services Act. On receiving a valid, sufficiently substantiated report of unlawful content, we will assess it and may require you to remove the content, or remove or disable access to it ourselves where you do not act, where the unlawfulness is manifest, or where required by law. We will pass valid notices to you where appropriate so you can respond.

10. Lawful cooperation

We will cooperate with valid, legally binding requests from competent Dutch and EU authorities and law enforcement, including data preservation and disclosure where legally required. We will limit disclosure to what is legally required and, where permitted by law, inform you of a request relating to your account.

11. Enforcement

Breach of this AUP is a material breach of the Terms of Service. Depending on severity, we may: issue a warning; require remediation within a stated time; rate-limit, filter, or null-route traffic; suspend the affected Service or the account; or terminate the Agreement. For serious or urgent threats (including those in sections 3 and 4) we may act immediately and without prior notice. We may charge reasonable costs incurred in responding to a breach.

12. Reporting abuse

To report abuse, unlawful content, or a security issue involving the RootPacket network, contact our abuse team. Please include relevant details (IP addresses, timestamps with timezone, logs, and a description) so we can act quickly.

13. Changes

We may update this AUP for legal, security, or operational reasons. Material changes will be notified by email or via the portal with at least thirty (30) days' notice, except where a shorter period is needed to address a legal requirement or an imminent threat. The current version is always published at this page.