Acceptable Use Policy

This Acceptable Use Policy (“AUP”) sets out the rules for using StopBouncing’s email verification services. By using our services you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to this policy. Violation may result in account suspension or termination without refund.

1. Permitted uses

You may use StopBouncing to:

• Verify email addresses that you have collected lawfully in connection with your own business operations.
• Clean email lists for use in your own marketing or transactional email campaigns.
• Integrate our API into your own products or services to verify addresses your users submit.
• Improve deliverability of legitimate email communications.

2. Prohibited uses

You must not use StopBouncing to:

2.1 Illegal activities

• Verify email lists acquired through hacking, data breaches, scraping without authorisation, or any other unlawful means.
• Process personal data in violation of applicable law, including the GDPR, the Dutch UAVG, the CAN-SPAM Act, or equivalent legislation in your jurisdiction.
• Evade or circumvent technical or legal measures protecting data subjects’ rights.

2.2 Spam and unsolicited messaging

• Verify lists for the purpose of sending unsolicited commercial email (spam).
• Support bulk messaging campaigns without a valid legal basis (e.g. consent, legitimate interest with opt-out) under applicable anti-spam law.
• Verify addresses obtained from purchased or rented lists where recipients have not opted in to hear from you.

2.3 Resale and unauthorised access

• Resell, sublicense, or redistribute StopBouncing services or verification results to third parties without our prior written consent.
• Share API keys or account credentials with parties outside your organisation.
• Attempt to bypass rate limits, authentication, or other technical controls.
• Reverse-engineer, decompile, or copy any part of our service.

2.4 Harmful content and targets

• Verify lists that will be used to send content that is defamatory, harassing, threatening, or otherwise harmful.
• Target individuals who have exercised their right to opt out or requested deletion of their data.
• Process data relating to children under the age of 16 without verifiable parental consent.

2.5 Infrastructure abuse

• Conduct denial-of-service attacks, load testing without prior agreement, or any activity that degrades service availability for others.
• Upload files containing malicious code, malware, or content designed to exploit our infrastructure.
• Use automated tools to create multiple accounts to circumvent usage limits.

3. Your responsibilities

You are responsible for:

• Ensuring you have a valid legal basis to process the personal data you submit to us.
• Maintaining records of consent or other lawful bases for your email lists.
• Honouring unsubscribe and deletion requests before submitting lists for verification.
• Keeping your API keys confidential and revoking any that may have been compromised.
• Ensuring your use complies with the laws of your jurisdiction.

4. Monitoring and enforcement

We reserve the right to monitor aggregate usage patterns (not the content of email lists) to detect abuse. If we detect or receive credible reports of a violation of this policy, we may:

• Suspend or terminate your account with or without prior notice depending on the severity of the violation.
• Revoke API keys immediately.
• Retain credits without refund where the violation caused costs or harm to us or third parties.
• Report violations to the relevant authorities where required by law.

5. Reporting violations

If you believe our service is being used in violation of this policy, please report it to legal@stopbouncing.com. We investigate all credible reports.

6. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via email or an in-app notice. Continued use of the service after the effective date of a revised policy constitutes acceptance.

7. Contact

Questions about this policy: legal@stopbouncing.com

StopBouncing, Netherlands