1. Purpose
This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") sets out the rules governing the use of all services operated by Runstate Ltd under the zCloud brand (zcloud.mu). It is incorporated by reference into the Terms of Service. By using any zCloud service you agree to comply with this AUP.
The AUP exists to protect the integrity, security, and reliability of our shared infrastructure and to ensure that all customers receive a high-quality experience. Conduct that harms the platform, other customers, or third parties is not permitted.
2. Prohibited Uses
2.1 Spam and Unsolicited Communications
- Sending unsolicited bulk email (spam), SMS, or instant messages — including commercial advertising, phishing lures, and malware distribution.
- Operating open mail relays, open proxies, or any service intentionally designed to obscure the origin of email or other communications.
- Harvesting or collecting email addresses, phone numbers, or other contact information without the consent of the individuals concerned.
2.2 Abuse and Harassment
- Using zCloud infrastructure to intimidate, threaten, harass, stalk, or harm any individual or group.
- Participating in, facilitating, or hosting platforms whose primary purpose is to enable harassment campaigns.
- Publishing or distributing content that incites violence or hatred based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or other protected characteristics.
2.3 Illegal Content and Activities
- Hosting, transmitting, or distributing content that is illegal under the laws of Mauritius or the jurisdiction of the end user, including but not limited to child sexual abuse material (CSAM), content glorifying terrorism, or materials that infringe third-party intellectual property rights.
- Operating services that facilitate money laundering, fraud, unauthorised financial services, or other criminal enterprise.
- Conducting or facilitating unauthorised access to computer systems ("hacking"), including port scanning, vulnerability exploitation, and credential stuffing against systems you do not own or have explicit permission to test.
- Distributing malware, ransomware, spyware, rootkits, or any software designed to cause harm.
Many of the activities above are criminal offences under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act 2003 of Mauritius — including unauthorised access to or modification of computer data, unauthorised interception, denial-of-service attacks, and electronic fraud. We cooperate with the Mauritian authorities and may preserve and disclose data in response to a valid legal process.
2.4 Cryptocurrency and Compute Abuse
- Mining cryptocurrency (proof-of-work or equivalent) on any zCloud resource without prior written approval from Runstate. If you intend to use our high-CPU plans for legitimate blockchain workloads, please contact us before deployment.
- Running workloads designed to maximise CPU, memory, or I/O utilisation in a way that degrades the experience of other customers on shared infrastructure.
2.5 Resource Abuse
- Consuming network bandwidth, storage, or compute resources in excess of your plan limits in a sustained manner, or in a way that interferes with the operation of the platform or degrades service for other customers.
- Launching Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, network flood attacks, or any similar activity against any target — whether on or off the zCloud network.
- Using zCloud infrastructure as a command-and-control node or botnet participant.
- Circumventing resource quotas, rate limits, or account restrictions imposed by Runstate.
2.6 Intellectual Property
- Hosting or distributing copyrighted content (software, media, publications) without holding a valid licence or the rights holder's explicit permission.
- Operating services that primarily facilitate infringement of intellectual property rights (e.g., piracy portals, cracking tools).
3. Restricted Uses (Prior Approval Required)
The following uses are permitted only with Runstate's prior written approval. To request approval, use our contact form before proceeding:
- High-volume outbound email (e.g., transactional mail platforms, newsletters) exceeding 5,000 messages per day.
- Penetration testing or security research against your own instances hosted on zCloud.
- Proof-of-stake or legitimate blockchain node operation at scale.
4. Reporting Abuse
If you become aware of any abuse of zCloud infrastructure by a third party, please report it to abuse@zcloud.mu. Include as much detail as possible: the nature of the abuse, the IP addresses or domain names involved, timestamps, and any supporting evidence. We investigate all reports and aim to respond within 2 business days.
5. Enforcement
Runstate reserves the right to take any of the following actions in response to a confirmed or suspected breach of this AUP, at our sole discretion and without prior notice where immediate action is warranted:
- Issue a formal warning and require remediation within a specified timeframe.
- Throttle or rate-limit network access to affected instances.
- Suspend the offending service or account until the breach is resolved.
- Terminate the account and all associated services, with no refund of unused prepaid fees.
- Preserve and disclose data to law-enforcement or regulatory authorities where required by applicable law or valid legal process.
We will always endeavour to provide notice and a reasonable opportunity to remedy the situation before taking irreversible action, unless the nature of the breach makes immediate action necessary to protect the platform or third parties.
6. Changes to This Policy
We may update this AUP from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of our Services constitutes acceptance of the current version of this policy.
7. Contact
Abuse reports: abuse@zcloud.mu
General enquiries: our contact form
Runstate Ltd, Mauritius