Acceptable Use Policy

A document that defines how users are permitted to use a product, service, platform, or network, specifying prohibited activities, consequences for violations, and the company's rights to enforce the policy.

An AUP protects a founder's business from liability arising from harmful user behaviour and provides legal grounds to terminate accounts that violate the policy without facing disputes.

A founder who runs a community platform publishes an acceptable use policy prohibiting spam, harassment, illegal content, and impersonation. When a member posts prohibited content, she terminates their access immediately, citing the AUP they agreed to at sign-up, without legal ambiguity.