Legal

Acceptable Use Policy

Operational freedom for legitimate operators. Zero tolerance for content that causes real harm. This policy applies to all TheOnionHost services.

📅 Last updated: January 2025 âš–ī¸ Applies to all services 🌍 All jurisdictions
Section 01

Overview

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") governs the use of all services provided by TheOnionHost, including shared hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated servers, streaming servers, and domain registration across all jurisdictions.

TheOnionHost operates on a simple principle: operators deserve the freedom to run legitimate projects without unnecessary interference, while certain categories of harmful content are prohibited without exception.

This AUP should be read alongside our Terms of Service. By using any TheOnionHost service, you agree to the terms set out here.

â„šī¸ Jurisdiction note: This AUP does not override the legal framework of each hosting jurisdiction. Content is always evaluated against the laws of the server's physical location — not the laws of the country making a complaint.
Section 02

Permitted Use

TheOnionHost actively supports a broad range of legitimate operations. The following categories of content and services are explicitly supported:

✅
We Support
  • ✓Privacy tools & secure communications
  • ✓VPN & proxy infrastructure
  • ✓Cryptocurrency & Web3 infrastructure
  • ✓Media & content distribution platforms
  • ✓Free speech & political content
  • ✓Journalism & news operations
  • ✓Tor relay & anonymity services
  • ✓Game servers & gaming infrastructure
  • ✓File hosting & storage services
  • ✓Content lawful under local jurisdiction
đŸšĢ
Zero Tolerance
  • ✗CSAM — child sexual abuse material
  • ✗Phishing & credential harvesting
  • ✗Malware & trojan distribution
  • ✗Botnet command & control servers
  • ✗DDoS-for-hire & stresser services
  • ✗Spam operations & bulk email
  • ✗Exploit kit distribution
  • ✗Ransomware infrastructure
  • ✗Human trafficking facilitation
  • ✗Weapons of mass destruction content

The permitted list is not exhaustive. If your use case is not listed above, it is likely permitted provided it does not fall within the prohibited categories and is not illegal under the laws of the applicable hosting jurisdiction.

Section 04

Complaints & Notices

TheOnionHost receives two types of complaints: those with legal force under the server's jurisdiction, and those without. The distinction matters.

Legally enforceable complaints are those filed through the appropriate legal system of the hosting jurisdiction — Bulgarian courts for Bulgarian servers, Ukrainian courts for Ukrainian servers, and Dutch courts for Netherlands servers. These are reviewed by our legal team and actioned appropriately.

Foreign instruments — including takedown notices from other jurisdictions — carry no automatic legal weight under local law. These are forwarded to the account holder as informational notices. No unilateral action is taken based on foreign instruments alone.

âš ī¸ Important: Forwarding a notice to an account holder is not an indication that we believe the complaint is valid or that action is required. It is a courtesy notification only.
Report Abuse

To report content that violates this AUP — particularly CSAM, malware infrastructure, or phishing — contact our abuse team directly. We take genuine abuse reports seriously and respond promptly.

Report Abuse →
Section 05

Enforcement

Violations of this AUP that fall within the prohibited categories will result in immediate service suspension without prior notice. This applies regardless of the jurisdiction of the complaint or the identity of the reporting party.

For borderline cases or grey-area content, our team will evaluate the content against local law in the applicable jurisdiction and may contact the account holder before taking action.

We reserve the right to terminate services for any account that, in our reasonable judgment, poses a legal, reputational, or operational risk to TheOnionHost — even in the absence of a formal complaint.

Section 06

Jurisdiction

Each hosting location operates under a separate legal framework:

Bulgaria (Sofia) — EU member state. Bulgarian law and EU regulations apply. Content is evaluated under Bulgarian legal standards.

Ukraine (Kyiv) — Independent jurisdiction. Ukrainian law applies. Fully outside EU and US enforcement mechanisms.

Netherlands (Amsterdam) — EU member state. Dutch law (Wbp) and GDPR apply. Strong privacy protections with AMS-IX network access.

In all cases, the applicable law is the law of the physical server location. Foreign legal instruments require local court proceedings to carry any enforceable weight.

Section 07

Contact

For questions about this policy, legal inquiries, or abuse reports:

Support & General: billing.theonionhost.com/submitticket.php

Abuse Reports: Submit via the abuse department through our ticket system, marked as urgent for CSAM or active malware infrastructure.

Legal Notices: Legal instruments with jurisdiction must be submitted through the appropriate local legal channels of the hosting jurisdiction. Foreign legal instruments should be addressed to our ticket system and will be reviewed by our legal team.