ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY (AUP)

1. Purpose and Scope

This Acceptable Use Policy (“AUP”) governs the access to and use of all internet, connectivity, cloud, managed IT, and communication services (“Services”) provided by Shanti Africa Group (Pty) Ltd (“Shanti Africa”, “we”, “us”, or “our”).

This policy forms an integral part of the Terms and Conditions and Service Agreements between Shanti Africa and its clients, users, or third parties (“Client”, “User”, or “you”). It is designed to safeguard the security, stability, operational integrity, and legal compliance of Shanti Africa’s network, systems, and client infrastructure.

2. General Principles & Regulatory Compliance

By accessing or using Shanti Africa’s Services, you agree to comply with this AUP, all applicable legislation within the Republic of South Africa—including the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act (RICA), the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECTA)—and all binding industry codes.

Shanti Africa is a member of the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) and is bound by the ISPA Code of Conduct.

3. Prohibited and Unacceptable Use

Users may not utilize Shanti Africa’s network, services, or web infrastructure to conduct, facilitate, or assist in any of the following activities:

3.1 Unlawful or Criminal Activity

  • Any activity that violates South African law, international law, or local regulations.
  • The transmission, distribution, or storage of material that is defamatory, fraudulent, obscene, abusive, or infringing on any intellectual property rights.
  • Facilitating or participating in child exploitation, human trafficking, hate speech, or incitement to violence.

3.2 Network and System Security Breaches

  • Intentionally interfering with or compromising the performance, security, or integrity of Shanti Africa’s network or any third-party infrastructure.
  • Unauthorized access to systems, networks, data, or accounts (hacking, port scanning, vulnerability probing, or password cracking).
  • Originating or amplifying Denial of Service (DoS or DDoS) attacks, distributed malware, ransomware, botnets, or phishing schemes.
  • Altering, forging, or spoofing network header information or IP addressing to disguise the source of transmission.

3.3 Spam and Unsolicited Direct Marketing

  • Transmission of unsolicited bulk communications (spam) in contravention of the ISPA Code of Conduct and POPIA standards.
  • Operating unconfirmed mailing lists, harvesting email addresses, or utilizing open mail relays.

4. Contact Form Submissions & User Responsibilities

  • Accuracy of Information: Users submitting inquiries via our online contact form agree to provide truthful, accurate, and current contact details.
  • Form Protection & Spam Misuse: Our contact forms and communication channels may not be used to submit unsolicited commercial promotion, spam, automated script submissions (bots), or malicious attachments. Form submissions are monitored and protected via automated spam detection services.

5. Monitoring, Enforcement, and Incident Response

Shanti Africa does not actively monitor private user communications. However, we reserve the right to investigate suspected breaches of this policy or respond to formal legal requests and official ISPA take-down notices.

In the event of an identified breach of this AUP, Shanti Africa reserves the right to take appropriate action, including but not limited to:

  1. Issuing a formal warning or notice of non-compliance.
  2. Temporarily suspending or throttling specific network ports, IP ranges, or Services.
  3. Terminating service provision in cases of severe or repeated violations.
  4. Reporting unlawful activities to relevant statutory authorities or law enforcement agencies.

6. Reporting Unacceptable Use

Please report any use of our services in contravention of this AUP to info@shantiafrica.com (or support@shantiafrica.com).

7. Amendments to This Policy

Shanti Africa reserves the right to amend or update this Policy periodically to reflect technological, operational, or legislative changes. Notice of amendments will be published on our website, and continued use of the Services following such publication constitutes acceptance of the modified policy.

Please send an email to info@shantiafrica.com for any query or matter relating to this Policy.