Acceptable Use Policy

Last updated: 26 November 2024

This policy outlines what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable use of the Outreach email marketing platform. Violation of this policy may result in immediate account suspension or termination.

1. Purpose

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") governs your use of the Outreach email marketing platform. It is designed to protect our users, our infrastructure, and the broader email ecosystem from abuse.

2. Email Content Standards

2.1 Permitted Content

You MAY send:
  • Marketing emails to recipients who have given explicit consent
  • Transactional emails (order confirmations, password resets, etc.)
  • Newsletters to opted-in subscribers
  • B2B communications where legitimate interest applies (with proper LIA)
  • Re-engagement campaigns to your existing customers

2.2 Prohibited Content

You must NOT send emails containing:
  • Illegal content: Anything that violates applicable laws
  • Spam: Unsolicited bulk email to purchased/rented lists
  • Malware: Viruses, trojans, ransomware, or malicious code
  • Phishing: Deceptive content designed to steal credentials or data
  • Hate speech: Content promoting violence or discrimination
  • Adult content: Pornographic or sexually explicit material
  • Illegal products: Drugs, weapons, counterfeit goods
  • Financial fraud: Pyramid schemes, "get rich quick" scams
  • Deceptive content: False or misleading claims
  • Harassment: Threatening, abusive, or bullying content

3. List Acquisition Standards

3.1 Permitted List Sources

  • Direct opt-ins from your website or app
  • Sign-up forms with clear consent language
  • Existing customers with whom you have a relationship
  • Business contacts where B2B legitimate interest applies
  • Event attendees who provided consent at registration

3.2 Prohibited List Sources

  • Purchased lists: Lists bought from third parties
  • Rented lists: Lists rented for one-time or limited use
  • Scraped lists: Email addresses harvested from websites
  • Appended lists: Lists enhanced with third-party data without consent
  • Co-registration: Lists from joint promotions without clear consent
  • Old lists: Lists where consent was obtained more than 2 years ago without recent engagement

4. Consent Requirements

4.1 What Constitutes Valid Consent

  • Freely given: No pre-ticked boxes or forced consent
  • Specific: Clear about what they're signing up for
  • Informed: Who will contact them and why
  • Unambiguous: Requires a clear affirmative action
  • Recorded: You must keep records of when/how consent was obtained

4.2 B2B Legitimate Interest

For B2B marketing under legitimate interest (UK/EU), you must:

  • Complete a Legitimate Interest Assessment (LIA)
  • Only contact business email addresses
  • Ensure content is relevant to the recipient's role
  • Provide easy opt-out in every email
  • Respect opt-outs immediately

5. Sending Practices

5.1 Required Email Elements

  • Clear sender identification: Recipients must know who's emailing them
  • Working unsubscribe link: In every marketing email
  • Physical address: Your business address must be included
  • Accurate subject lines: No misleading or deceptive subjects

5.2 Sending Limits and Best Practices

  • Respect sending limits set for your account
  • Maintain complaint rates below 0.1%
  • Keep bounce rates below 2%
  • Don't send to addresses that have previously bounced
  • Warm up new sending domains gradually

6. Unsubscribe Handling

You must:

  • Process unsubscribe requests within 48 hours
  • Never require login to unsubscribe
  • Not email unsubscribed contacts again (except transactional)
  • Not share unsubscribed addresses with third parties

7. Prohibited Industries

Due to high risk of abuse, we do not permit accounts in the following industries:

  • Pharmaceutical sales (unlicensed)
  • Multi-level marketing (MLM)
  • Payday loans and predatory lending
  • Adult entertainment
  • Online gambling (unlicensed)
  • Cryptocurrency ICOs and unregistered securities
  • List brokers and lead generation resellers

8. Security Requirements

  • Keep your account credentials secure
  • Enable two-factor authentication when available
  • Report any suspected security breaches immediately
  • Don't share API keys or access tokens

9. Monitoring and Enforcement

We actively monitor for AUP violations through:

  • Complaint feedback loops
  • Bounce rate monitoring
  • Spam trap detection
  • Content analysis
  • User reports

10. Consequences of Violation

Severity Examples Consequences
Minor High bounce rate, missing address Warning, required list cleaning
Moderate Elevated complaints, outdated list Sending suspended, mandatory review
Severe Spam, purchased lists, malware Immediate termination, no refund

11. Reporting Abuse

To report abuse of our platform:

Please include the email headers and content in your report.

12. Contact

Questions about this policy: