Acceptable Use Policy

1. Purpose

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") sets out the rules and guidelines for using all services provided by SillyHost ("we", "us", "our"), including but not limited to web hosting, domain registration, the AI Website Builder, and the marketplace (collectively, the "Services").

This AUP is designed to protect our customers, our infrastructure, and the wider internet community. It is incorporated by reference into our Terms of Service, and all users of our Services are required to comply with it.

We believe in freedom of expression and an open internet, but that freedom comes with responsibility. The restrictions outlined below exist to ensure that our platform remains safe, reliable, and enjoyable for everyone.

2. Prohibited Content

You may not use our Services to host, store, distribute, or link to any of the following types of content:

2.1 Illegal Content

Any content that is illegal under the laws of England and Wales or the jurisdiction in which it is accessed, including but not limited to content that promotes or facilitates illegal drug trafficking, terrorism, human trafficking, child exploitation, or any other criminal activity.

2.2 Malware & Malicious Software

Hosting, distributing, or linking to viruses, trojans, worms, ransomware, spyware, adware, keyloggers, rootkits, or any other malicious software designed to damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorised access to computer systems or data.

2.3 Phishing & Fraud

Creating or hosting websites, pages, or content designed to deceive users into providing personal information, login credentials, financial information, or any other sensitive data through impersonation of legitimate businesses, organisations, or individuals. This includes fake login pages, fraudulent e-commerce sites, and social engineering schemes.

2.4 Spam Content

Hosting websites or content whose primary purpose is to support spam operations, including doorway pages, link farms, auto-generated SEO spam, scraped content sites, or landing pages for unsolicited email campaigns.

2.5 Adult Content

Pornographic or sexually explicit content is not permitted on shared hosting plans. If you wish to host adult content on a dedicated or VPS plan (where available), you must implement robust age verification mechanisms that comply with all applicable laws, including the UK Online Safety Act. All adult content must be legal and consensual, and any content involving minors is strictly and absolutely prohibited.

2.6 Copyright Infringement

Content that infringes upon the copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, or other intellectual property rights of any third party. This includes pirated software, films, music, e-books, or any other copyrighted material distributed without the right holder's authorisation. We will respond promptly to valid takedown notices in accordance with applicable law.

3. Prohibited Activities

The following activities are strictly prohibited on our platform, regardless of the hosting plan or service used:

3.1 Resource Abuse

Deliberately or negligently consuming excessive server resources (CPU, memory, disk I/O, bandwidth, or network connections) in a manner that degrades performance for other customers on the same server. This includes running resource-intensive background processes, unoptimised scripts, or applications that are not suited to a shared hosting environment.

3.2 Cryptocurrency Mining

Using our servers or hosting infrastructure for cryptocurrency mining, blockchain validation, proof-of-work computation, or any similar resource-intensive computation is strictly prohibited on all plans. This includes client-side mining scripts embedded in web pages.

3.3 Botnets & Command-and-Control

Operating or hosting botnet command-and-control (C2) servers, participating in botnets, or using our infrastructure to coordinate distributed attacks, automated abuse, or unauthorised access to third-party systems.

3.4 Network Scanning & Exploitation

Conducting port scanning, vulnerability scanning, network reconnaissance, or penetration testing against any systems or networks without explicit written authorisation from the system owner. Using our Services to attempt to gain unauthorised access to any computer, network, or data is strictly forbidden.

3.5 Denial of Service Attacks

Launching, facilitating, or participating in Denial of Service (DoS) or Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks against any target, including our own infrastructure or any third-party system. This includes hosting tools or scripts designed for conducting such attacks, as well as intentionally triggering amplification attacks.

3.6 Proxy & VPN Abuse

Operating open proxies, anonymous remailers, or VPN services on shared hosting plans without prior written approval from SillyHost. These services can be abused to facilitate illegal activity and place an undue burden on shared resources.

4. Email Policy

Email services provided through SillyHost hosting accounts must be used responsibly and in compliance with applicable anti-spam legislation, including the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR) and the UK GDPR.

4.1 No Bulk Unsolicited Email

Sending unsolicited bulk email (spam) is strictly prohibited. This includes:

• Sending emails to recipients who have not explicitly opted in to receive them.
• Using purchased, scraped, or harvested email lists.
• Sending emails with deceptive subject lines or forged headers.
• Failing to include a clear and functional unsubscribe mechanism in commercial emails.
• Failing to honour unsubscribe requests within a reasonable timeframe (no more than 10 business days).

4.2 Email Authentication

To help maintain email deliverability and prevent spoofing, all domains used for sending email through our platform should be configured with proper email authentication records:

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Publish an SPF record in your DNS that authorises our mail servers to send email on behalf of your domain.
• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Enable DKIM signing for your outgoing emails to verify message integrity and sender authenticity.
• DMARC: We strongly recommend publishing a DMARC policy to instruct receiving mail servers on how to handle messages that fail SPF or DKIM checks.

4.3 Sending Limits

Email sending limits apply to all hosting accounts to protect our mail server reputation and ensure reliable delivery for all customers. If you need to send large volumes of email (newsletters, marketing campaigns, transactional emails), we recommend using a dedicated email marketing service such as Mailchimp, SendGrid, or Amazon SES.

5. Resource Usage

All hosting plans operate under a fair use policy. While we aim to be generous with resource allocations, our shared hosting infrastructure is exactly that -- shared. Your usage should not negatively impact the performance, stability, or security of other customers' services.

5.1 CPU & Memory

Your hosting account should not consistently consume more than the CPU and memory resources allocated to your plan. Short-term spikes during normal traffic surges are expected and accommodated, but sustained high usage that affects server stability may result in throttling or a request to upgrade your plan. Specific limits are detailed on the plan description page for each hosting package.

5.2 Storage & Bandwidth

Storage space must be used for files directly related to your website and its normal operation. Using your hosting account primarily as a file storage or backup repository, or for hosting large media archives for download, is not permitted on shared plans. Bandwidth allocations are per billing cycle and reset at the start of each new cycle.

5.3 Inodes & Files

Each hosting account has a maximum number of files and directories (inodes) it may contain. Excessively large numbers of small files can degrade server performance. If your account approaches or exceeds its inode limit, we will notify you and work with you to resolve the issue.

6. Enforcement

We take violations of this AUP seriously. Our enforcement approach is proportionate to the severity and nature of the violation:

6.1 Warnings

For minor or first-time violations (such as unintentional resource overuse or a misconfigured script), we will typically issue a written warning via email and provide guidance on how to resolve the issue. You will be given a reasonable timeframe to bring your account into compliance.

6.2 Suspension

For serious violations, repeated offences after a warning, or situations where your account poses an immediate risk to our infrastructure or other customers, we may suspend your account or specific services without prior notice. Suspended accounts remain intact but are inaccessible until the issue is resolved. We will notify you of the suspension and the steps required to restore access.

6.3 Termination

In cases of severe violations (such as hosting illegal content, distributing malware, conducting attacks, or repeated breaches after suspension), we reserve the right to terminate your account immediately and permanently. Upon termination for AUP violations:

• No refund will be provided for any prepaid services.
• We may retain data as required by law or to assist law enforcement.
• We may report the activity to relevant law enforcement authorities.
• Associated domain names may be suspended or transferred at our discretion.

6.4 Appeals

If you believe an enforcement action was taken in error, you may appeal by contacting us at support@sillyhost.co.uk within 14 days of the action. We will review your appeal and respond within 5 business days.

7. Reporting Abuse

If you become aware of any content or activity hosted on our platform that violates this Acceptable Use Policy, we encourage you to report it to us promptly. We take all reports seriously and will investigate each one.

To report abuse, please send an email to:

We aim to acknowledge all abuse reports within 24 hours and take appropriate action as swiftly as possible. For urgent matters involving imminent harm or illegal activity, please clearly mark your email as "URGENT" in the subject line.