NPWT Acceptable Use Policy

The NPWT Acceptable Use Policy has been formulated with the following goals in mind:

• Ensure security, reliability and privacy of NPWT's systems and network, and the networks and systems of others
• Avoid situations that may cause NPWT to incur civil liability
• Maintain the image and reputation of NPWT as a responsible Internet access provider
• Preserve the value of Internet resources as a conduit for free expression
• Encourage the responsible use of net resources, discouraging practices which degrade the usability of network resources and thus the value of Internet services
• Preserve the privacy and security of individual users

NPWT will review alleged violations of Acceptable Use Policy on a case-by-case basis. Violations of policy may result in termination of NPWT membership and network services of the subscriber. Usage of NPWT's network constitutes an agreement to abide by these guidelines.

General Issues

• NPWT services may only be used for lawful purposes. Transmission, distribution, or storage of any information, data or material in violation of United States or state regulation or law, or by the common law, is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, material protected by copyright, trademark, trade secret, or any other statute. NPWT reserves the right to remove such illegal material from its servers.
• NPWT dialup accounts are intended for interactive use only. They may not be kept connected with a "keep-alive" of any sort, such as setting an email program to check mail periodically while unattended. We ask that users disconnect before leaving their computers unattended. Attempts to circumvent the "idle timeout" are prohibited.
• NPWT dialup accounts are intended for use by an individual, and entitles only the named user to log in. Multiple simultaneous logins are prohibited.
• Password security is the responsibility of the individual user. Good passwords should be a minimum of six characters longs, and contain letters, numbers, and punctuation, and are not based on any dictionary word or common name. Customers may not share passwords or accounts with others.
• When accessing other networks connected directly or indirectly to NPWT's systems or network, Customer must comply with the policies of that other network.
• NPWT provides free personal web pages to dialup customers. The web pages reside on NPWT equipment, which gives NPWT some ethical responsibility for the content of such pages. NPWT will handle potentially inappropriate web pages on a case-by-case basis. Examples of inapproriate information include, but are not limited to, downloadable virus code and obscenity.

System and Network Security

• Customers may not attempt to circumvent user authentication or security of any host, network, or account ("cracking"). This includes, but is not limited to, accessing data not intended for the Customer, logging into a server or account the Customer is not expressly authorized to acecss, or probing the security of other networks.
• Customers may not attempt to interfere with service to any user, host, or network ("denial of service attacks"). This includes, but is not limited to "flooding" of networks, deliberate attempts to overload a service, and attempts to "crash" a host.
• Users who violate systems or network security may incur criminal or civil liability. NPWT will cooperate fully with investigations of violations of systems or network security at other sites, including cooperating with law enforcement authorities in the investigation of suspected criminal violations.

Email and News

• Customers may not send email to any person who does not wish to receive it. If a recipient asks to stop receiving email, the Customer must not send that person any further email.
• Customers are explicitly prohibited from sending unsolicited bulk mail messages ("junk mail" or "spam"). This includes, but is not limited to, bulk-mailing of commercial advertising, informational announcements, and political tracts. Such material may only be sent to those who have explicitly requested it.
• Customers may not post, forward, or otherwise propagate chain letters, whether or not the recipient wishes to receive such mailings.
• Malicious email, including but not limited to "mailbombing" (flooding a user or site with very large or numerous pieces of email), is prohibited.
• Forging of email or news header information is not permitted. This includes attempting to circumvent the approval process for posting to a moderated newsgroup. Attempting to cancel, supersede, or otherwise interfere with email or USENET posts other than one's own is prohibited.
• NPWT accounts or services may not be used to collect replies to messages sent from another Internet access provider, where those messages violate this Acceptable Use Policy or the policies of that other provider.
• Postings to USENET newsgroups must comply with the written charters or FAQs for those newsgroups. Advertisements should only be posted in those newsgroups whose charters/FAQs explicitly permit them. The poster is responsible for determining the etiquette of a given newsgroups, prior to posting to it.
• Customers are prohibited from posting the same or similiar message to lage numbers of newsgroups (excessive cross-posting or multiple-posting, also known as "USENET spam").

IRC (Internet Relay Chat)

• IRC robots ("bots" or "clones") may not be run from NPWT shell accounts or on any IRC server which does not explicitly allow them.
• Customers may not attempt to impersonate other IRC users or use IRC anonymously by disguising their hostname or username.
• Customers are prohibited from using IRC scripts or programs that interfere with or deny service to other users on any server or host. Customers are also prohibited from engaging in activities which harass other IRC users. This includes, but is not limited to, "flooding" (rapidly entering text with the intent to fill the screens of others), "flashing" (disrupting terminal emulation), and "takeovers" (forcibly seizing operator privileges).