Charter Hosting Acceptable Use Policy

Last Updated: September 12, 2026

1. Purpose and Scope

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP" or "Policy") governs the use of all websites, hosting services, servers, networks, email services, software, applications, accounts, systems, and other services provided by Michael Moller, an individual, doing business as Charter Hosting ("Charter Hosting," "we," "us," or "our").

This Policy applies to all Charter Hosting customers, authorized users, resellers, reseller end users, website visitors using customer-hosted systems, and any person or entity using Charter Hosting infrastructure or Services.

This Policy is incorporated into and forms part of the Charter Hosting Terms of Service available at: https://charterhosting.com/tos .

A violation of this Acceptable Use Policy is also a violation of the Charter Hosting Terms of Service.

Customers are responsible for the activity occurring through their accounts, websites, servers, applications, email accounts, credentials, reseller accounts, and other Services under their control.

2. General Acceptable Use Requirements

Charter Hosting Services may be used only for lawful purposes and in a manner that does not materially harm:

Charter Hosting;
Charter Hosting infrastructure;
Other customers;
Upstream providers;
Internet users;
Third parties;
Network or email reputation; or
The security, stability, or availability of any system or network.

Customers must comply with all applicable federal, state, local, and international laws and regulations relating to their use of the Services.

Customers may not use Charter Hosting Services to engage in, facilitate, assist, encourage, conceal, or knowingly support prohibited activity.

3. Illegal, Harmful, and Prohibited Content

Charter Hosting prohibits the hosting, storage, publication, distribution, transmission, promotion, or facilitation of content or services that are unlawful or materially abusive.

Prohibited material includes, without limitation:

Content prohibited by applicable law;
Child sexual abuse material ("CSAM");
Content involving the sexual exploitation of minors;
Fraudulent or scam websites;
Phishing websites or phishing content;
Malware;
Ransomware;
Credential-stealing software or services;
Identity-theft services or materials;
Stolen personal or confidential information;
Content designed to facilitate unlawful hacking or computer intrusion;
Unlawful threats;
Content intended to facilitate terrorism or unlawful violent extremism;
Unlawful controlled substances or illegal drug sales;
Instructions involving weapons, explosives, or destructive devices where intended to facilitate unlawful harm;
Counterfeit goods or unlawful trafficking;
Material that unlawfully infringes intellectual-property rights; and
Other content or activity prohibited by applicable law.

Charter Hosting may remove, disable, block, restrict, or suspend content or Services when Charter Hosting reasonably believes action is necessary to comply with law, protect infrastructure, respond to abuse, or enforce this Policy.

4. Adult and Pornographic Content

Adult-entertainment, pornographic, sexually explicit, and substantially similar content or services are prohibited on Charter Hosting infrastructure.

This prohibition includes, without limitation:

Pornographic websites;
Adult video or image hosting;
Adult livestreaming;
Sexually explicit subscription services;
Adult-content download sites;
Adult-content affiliate sites primarily focused on explicit material; and
Other services primarily intended to distribute sexually explicit content.

Charter Hosting may determine, in its reasonable discretion, whether content falls within this prohibition.

5. Malware, Phishing, Fraud, and Compromised Services

Customers may not intentionally host, distribute, transmit, execute, or facilitate:

Viruses;
Worms;
Trojan horses;
Ransomware;
Malicious scripts;
Web shells;
Credential-stealing software;
Phishing pages;
Fraudulent login pages;
Exploit kits;
Botnet software;
Malicious redirects; or
Other harmful code.

If a website or server becomes compromised, Charter Hosting may immediately isolate, restrict, suspend, quarantine, or disable affected resources.

Charter Hosting may require the customer to remediate the compromise before Service is restored.

Required remediation may include:

Changing passwords;
Removing malware;
Updating software;
Removing vulnerable plugins or themes;
Correcting permissions;
Securing forms and scripts;
Removing unauthorized users;
Correcting DNS or email configuration; and
Demonstrating that the vulnerability has been addressed.

Malware cleanup, forensic analysis, investigation, repair, and remediation may be subject to additional fees unless expressly included in the applicable plan.

6. Email, Spam, and Bulk Messaging

6.1 Unsolicited Email Is Prohibited

Charter Hosting Services may not be used to send spam or unlawful unsolicited bulk email.

Prohibited practices include:

Sending unsolicited bulk email;
Using purchased email lists;
Using harvested email addresses;
Email-address scraping;
Sending phishing messages;
Sending malware;
Using deceptive sender identities;
Misleading subject lines;
Forging email headers;
Operating unauthorized mail relays;
Ignoring valid unsubscribe requests; and
Sending messages in violation of applicable law.

6.2 Permission-Based Mailing

Legitimate marketing or bulk email must be permission-based or opt-in.

Customers are responsible for maintaining evidence of consent where appropriate.

6.3 Sending Limits

Charter Hosting may establish, modify, and enforce reasonable email sending limits based on factors including:

The customer's plan;
Server capacity;
Sender reputation;
Domain reputation;
IP reputation;
Abuse history;
Security risk; and
Impact on other customers.

Limits may be applied hourly, daily, per mailbox, per domain, per account, per IP address, or per server.

6.4 Immediate Email Restriction

Charter Hosting may immediately restrict or suspend outbound email without advance notice if Charter Hosting reasonably suspects:

Spam;
Phishing;
Malware distribution;
A compromised mailbox;
A compromised website;
Abusive sending;
Unusual automated sending; or
Activity that is harming network or sender reputation.

6.5 Blacklisting and Reputation Damage

If customer activity causes an IP address, domain, or network to become blacklisted or reputation-damaged, Charter Hosting may suspend or restrict the affected Service.

Delisting, investigation, reputation repair, cleanup, or remediation resulting from customer activity may be billed separately.

6.6 Repeated Email Abuse

Charter Hosting may permanently disable email sending or terminate an account for repeated spam, phishing, malware, or reputation-damaging activity.

7. Resource Usage and Shared Hosting Restrictions

7.1 Fair Resource Usage

Shared, WordPress, reseller, and similar hosting environments are intended for ordinary website and application workloads.

Customers may not use resources in a manner that materially interferes with other customers or Charter Hosting infrastructure.

Resource usage includes:

CPU;
Memory;
Disk space;
Disk I/O;
Inodes;
File counts;
Processes;
PHP workers;
Database activity;
Database connections;
Network traffic;
Bandwidth;
Cron jobs;
Email activity; and
Other finite computing resources.

7.2 Unlimited and Unmetered Services

"Unlimited" and "unmetered" do not mean infinite physical resources or unrestricted use.

"Unmetered" generally means Charter Hosting does not charge solely according to a fixed transfer quota. Usage must remain reasonable and compatible with the applicable Service and this Policy.

7.3 Excessive Usage

Charter Hosting may throttle, restrict, isolate, suspend, or require changes to a Service that creates excessive resource usage or adversely affects:

Server stability;
Network performance;
Storage performance;
Other customers;
Infrastructure availability; or
Security.

7.4 Upgrade Requirement

Customers whose usage exceeds the practical limits of the current Service may be required to:

Optimize their website or application;
Reduce resource consumption;
Upgrade their hosting plan;
Move to a VPS;
Move to a dedicated server;
Move to another appropriate platform; or
Otherwise modify usage.

Failure to comply with a reasonable resource-related requirement may result in restriction or suspension.

8. File Storage, Backups, Archives, and Download Services

8.1 Hosting Is Not General File Storage

Shared, WordPress, and reseller hosting may not be used primarily as:

An off-site backup repository;
A general-purpose file archive;
A cloud-drive substitute;
A public file-sharing service;
A software mirror;
A large download repository; or
A storage platform unrelated to an active website or application.

8.2 Local Backup Archives

Charter Hosting may require customers to remove excessive backup archives, compressed files, database dumps, or other local backup files stored inside hosting accounts.

What constitutes excessive storage may depend on:

The customer's plan;
Disk consumption;
Inode usage;
Server capacity;
Backup size;
Backup frequency; and
Impact on other customers.

8.3 Backup Files May Be Excluded

Customer-created backup archives may be excluded from Charter Hosting's own backup systems.

8.4 Public Download Services

Public download sites, mirror sites, and high-bandwidth distribution services are prohibited on shared hosting unless specifically permitted by the applicable plan or approved by Charter Hosting.

9. Processes, Cron Jobs, Databases, and Automated Tasks

9.1 Persistent Background Processes

Persistent background processes, daemons, bots, crawlers, long-running tasks, continuously running scripts, and similar processes are prohibited on shared hosting unless specifically permitted by the applicable Service.

9.2 Cron Jobs

Charter Hosting may limit, throttle, reschedule, or disable cron jobs and scheduled tasks that:

Run excessively frequently;
Overlap repeatedly;
Consume excessive CPU;
Consume excessive memory;
Create excessive disk I/O;
Create excessive database load; or
Otherwise materially affect shared infrastructure.

9.3 Database Usage

Charter Hosting may limit, throttle, suspend, or require modification of database activity causing:

Excessive server load;
Long-running queries;
Excessive locking;
Connection exhaustion;
Resource exhaustion;
Database instability; or
Material impact on other customers.

10. Temporary Files, Caches, Logs, and Generated Data

Charter Hosting may remove, purge, restrict, or require cleanup of excessive:

Temporary files;
Cache files;
Session data;
Log files;
Generated files;
Debug files;
Backup archives;
Application caches; or
Other nonessential generated data.

This may occur when such data consumes unreasonable disk space, file counts, inodes, I/O, or other system resources.

11. Bandwidth, Traffic, and Network Usage

Charter Hosting may enforce reasonable bandwidth, traffic, transfer, connection, concurrent-connection, or related network limitations based on the applicable Service.

Customers may not deliberately generate artificial traffic or use a Service primarily to consume network capacity.

Charter Hosting may restrict traffic that materially threatens network stability, upstream relationships, or availability to other customers.

12. Cryptocurrency Mining

Cryptocurrency mining is prohibited on all Charter Hosting Services unless Charter Hosting provides prior written authorization.

This includes:

CPU mining;
GPU mining;
Storage-based mining;
Browser-based mining;
Unauthorized mining software; and
Other computational mining workloads.

13. Proxies, VPN Exit Nodes, Tor, and Traffic Relays

Customers may not operate the following without Charter Hosting's prior written approval:

Open proxies;
Public proxy servers;
Public VPN exit nodes;
Tor exit nodes;
Anonymous public traffic relays; or
Similar services that relay public third-party traffic.

Charter Hosting may immediately suspend an unauthorized relay service that creates security, legal, abuse, or network-reputation risk.

14. IRC, Bots, Game Servers, and Similar Services

IRC servers, public bots, game servers, public chat relays, and similar high-resource or high-abuse services are prohibited on shared hosting unless:

The applicable plan expressly permits them; or
Charter Hosting approves the Service in writing.

Services permitted on VPS or dedicated infrastructure remain subject to this Policy and reasonable network, security, and abuse restrictions.

15. Hacking, Scanning, and Security Testing

15.1 Unauthorized Testing Is Prohibited

Customers may not conduct or facilitate unauthorized:

Port scanning;
Vulnerability scanning;
Penetration testing;
Password attacks;
Exploit testing;
Credential attacks;
Network reconnaissance;
Brute-force attacks; or
Other security testing.

Testing systems that the customer does not own or does not have explicit authorization to test is prohibited.

15.2 Authorized Testing of Customer Systems

Customers may conduct lawful security testing against systems they own and control on Charter Hosting infrastructure when:

The customer is authorized to perform the test;
The activity is lawful;
The test does not attack Charter Hosting infrastructure;
The test does not materially affect other customers;
The test does not create excessive resource usage; and
The activity otherwise complies with this Policy.

Charter Hosting may require advance coordination for testing that could materially affect infrastructure.

16. DDoS Attacks and Network Threats

Customers may not initiate, participate in, assist, or facilitate denial-of-service or distributed denial-of-service attacks.

If a Service is targeted by or contributes to a network attack, Charter Hosting may:

Block traffic;
Null-route an IP address;
Throttle traffic;
Isolate the Service;
Temporarily disable network connectivity;
Suspend the Service; or
Take other reasonable defensive action.

Immediate protective action may be taken without prior notice.

Customers experiencing repeated attacks may be required to upgrade Services, purchase additional mitigation or bandwidth, modify their configuration, or migrate to a more appropriate platform.

Charter Hosting may terminate a Service when continuing to host it creates an unreasonable risk to Charter Hosting infrastructure or other customers.

17. Intellectual Property, Piracy, and Warez

Charter Hosting prohibits the hosting, distribution, transmission, or promotion of material that unlawfully infringes intellectual-property rights.

Prohibited material includes:

Pirated software;
Cracked software;
Warez;
Unauthorized license keys;
Unauthorized activation tools;
Infringing movies, music, books, or software;
Counterfeit products;
Trademark-infringing material; and
Other content unlawfully violating intellectual-property rights.

Charter Hosting may remove or disable allegedly infringing material in response to a legally sufficient complaint or as otherwise permitted by law.

Repeat infringers may have their Services suspended or terminated.

18. Reseller Hosting and End-User Conduct

18.1 Reseller Responsibility

Resellers are responsible for the use of Charter Hosting Services by their own customers and end users.

Resellers must ensure their end users comply with this Acceptable Use Policy.

18.2 End-User Violations

Charter Hosting may directly restrict, suspend, isolate, or disable an individual reseller end-user account, website, mailbox, application, or other resource when that end user is causing:

Spam;
Phishing;
Malware;
Fraud;
Illegal activity;
Network abuse;
Security threats;
Resource abuse; or
Other violations of this Policy.

Charter Hosting is not required to wait for the reseller to take action first where immediate action is reasonably necessary to protect infrastructure or third parties.

18.3 Repeated Reseller Abuse

Repeated abuse originating from reseller end users may result in restriction, suspension, or termination of the reseller account.

18.4 Reseller Notices

Resellers are responsible for passing applicable abuse notices, security requirements, suspension warnings, and policy requirements to their end users.

19. Charter Hosting Security and Enforcement Rights

19.1 Investigation

Charter Hosting may investigate suspected violations of this Policy.

Investigation may include reasonable review of:

Files;
Processes;
Logs;
Network activity;
Email activity;
Web requests;
System configuration;
Security alerts;
Abuse complaints; and
Other technical information reasonably necessary to investigate the issue.

19.2 No General Duty to Monitor

Charter Hosting is not obligated to proactively monitor or review all customer content or activity.

Charter Hosting nevertheless retains the right to investigate and act when potential abuse, security threats, legal violations, or Policy violations come to its attention.

19.3 Protective Actions

Charter Hosting may take actions including:

Warning the customer;
Requesting remediation;
Throttling resources;
Blocking network traffic;
Blocking an IP address;
Disabling scripts;
Changing file permissions;
Quarantining files;
Renaming malicious files;
Removing malicious files;
Restricting email sending;
Temporarily isolating a Service;
Suspending a Service;
Terminating a Service; or
Taking other reasonable protective action.

19.4 Immediate Action Without Notice

Charter Hosting may take immediate action without prior notice when delay could create material:

Security risk;
Network risk;
Legal risk;
Financial risk;
Reputational risk;
Infrastructure risk; or
Risk to other customers or third parties.

19.5 Good-Faith Protective Actions

Protective actions taken in good faith to address a suspected security, network, legal, or abuse issue do not automatically constitute a breach of Charter Hosting's obligations.

20. Suspension and Termination for AUP Violations

Charter Hosting may suspend, restrict, or terminate Services for violations of this Policy.

Depending on the nature and severity of the violation, Charter Hosting may:

Provide a warning and opportunity to correct the issue;
Require immediate remediation;
Temporarily suspend the affected resource;
Suspend the entire account;
Terminate the affected Service; or
Terminate the customer relationship.

Serious violations may result in immediate suspension or termination without prior notice.

Examples may include:

Child sexual abuse material;
Phishing;
Malware distribution;
Fraud;
Spam campaigns;
DDoS attacks;
Unauthorized hacking;
Serious network abuse;
Repeated violations; or
Activity presenting immediate danger to Charter Hosting or others.

21. No Refund or Service Credit for Policy Violations

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, suspension, restriction, throttling, isolation, content removal, or termination resulting from a violation of this Policy does not entitle the customer to:

A refund;
A prorated refund;
An account credit;
A service credit; or
Compensation for downtime or lost use.

The Charter Hosting Refund Policy is available at: https://charterhosting.com/refund-policy/ .

22. Legal Requests and Reporting

Charter Hosting may preserve, disclose, or provide information when required by valid legal process or applicable law.

Charter Hosting may also report activity to appropriate authorities when required by law or when Charter Hosting reasonably believes reporting is necessary to address unlawful activity or an immediate safety threat.

Charter Hosting may notify an affected customer where legally permitted and reasonably appropriate but does not guarantee advance notice.

23. Changes to This Policy

Charter Hosting may update this Acceptable Use Policy from time to time.

Updated versions will identify a revised "Last Updated" date.

Charter Hosting will provide notice of material changes where required by applicable law.

Continued use of the Services following the effective date of an updated Policy constitutes acceptance to the extent permitted by law.

24. Reporting Abuse and Contact Information

Suspected abuse involving Charter Hosting Services may be reported to:

Abuse Reports:
support@charterhosting.com

Legal, Copyright, DMCA, and Trademark Matters:
legal@charterhosting.com

Mailing Address:
Michael Moller d/b/a Charter Hosting
640 N Minnesota Ave
Glendora, CA 91741
United States

Website:
https://charterhosting.com/

Important Acceptable Use Notice

Charter Hosting reserves the right to immediately restrict, isolate, suspend, or terminate Services when reasonably necessary to address phishing, malware, spam, fraud, security incidents, illegal activity, excessive resource usage, network threats, or other violations of this Acceptable Use Policy.

Customers are responsible for the activity occurring through their accounts and for ensuring that their users, employees, contractors, applications, websites, and reseller customers comply with this Policy.