Abuse and Illegal Content Policy

Version: 1.0

Effective date: 24 July 2026

Last updated: 24 July 2026

This policy explains how to report suspected abuse or illegal content involving hionet hosting or hionet-controlled public features and how we assess reports. The substantive rules are in the Acceptable Use Policy and Online Safety and User Content Policy.

1. Emergency and specialist reporting

If anyone faces immediate danger, contact the appropriate emergency service before contacting hionet. In the UK, call 999 or 112.

Suspected child sexual abuse material should be reported through an appropriate specialist channel, such as the Internet Watch Foundation in the UK, and to police where urgent. Do not download, copy or email illegal imagery to us. Send only the URL, server identifier and contextual information needed to locate it safely.

2. How to report

Email [email protected] with the subject “Abuse report”. Include:

  • your name, organisation and reliable contact details, unless you need to report anonymously;

  • the exact URL, IP address, hostname, account, profile, listing, message, game server, Discord community, bot or other location identifier;

  • a clear description of the alleged conduct and why it is unlawful or violates policy;

  • the country and law said to apply, if the legal basis is not obvious;

  • dates, timestamps with time zone, relevant logs, message headers and screenshots;

  • whether there is immediate risk to life, a child, evidence or system security;

  • for intellectual-property claims, the protected work, ownership or authority, exact infringing location and a good-faith accuracy statement; and

  • any case or police reference.

Minimise personal data and redact credentials and unrelated information. Do not send bot tokens, passwords or malware as attachments without prior arrangement.

3. Acknowledgment and assessment

We aim to acknowledge an urgent, sufficiently detailed report within 2 staffed hours and other sufficiently detailed reports within 1 UK business day. Staffed hours are Monday to Friday, 09:00–17:00 UK time, excluding public holidays in England and Wales. Acknowledgment is not a decision.

We may verify that the reported system or feature is within our control, request missing information, assess apparent legality and risk, preserve relevant records, contact the customer or user, restrict specific content or functions, suspend a Service, refer the matter to an upstream provider or competent authority, or close an unsupported or out-of-scope report.

We use proportionate measures and, where safe and lawful, target the affected content or function rather than an entire account. Serious or urgent matters may require immediate action without prior notice.

4. Hionet-controlled user content and online safety

For hionet-controlled public listings, profiles, reviews, comments, messages, Discord communities and game servers, anyone may report content or activity under this policy. We assess reports against applicable law and our published rules. Where we remove or restrict content or take account action, we will normally provide the affected person with the general reason, the action taken and the available complaint route, unless notice is prohibited or creates a material safety, security or investigation risk.

Reporters and affected users can challenge a decision under the Complaints Policy. We maintain records of material reports, decisions and reasons for as long as stated in the Privacy Notice.

5. Customer-hosted communities

Customers generally control their own game communities and Discord bots. They are responsible for moderation, user notices and lawful processing within those communities. We may still act at infrastructure level where content or conduct is illegal, violates our policies, threatens security or exposes hionet or its suppliers to material risk.

6. Intellectual-property notices and responses

We may forward a notice and reporter contact details to the customer so they can respond, unless doing so would create a material safety or legal risk. A response should identify the affected material, explain the right or licence relied on and include supporting evidence. We may restore restricted material where the report is withdrawn, disproved or resolved, subject to law and upstream-provider requirements.

UK law does not use the US DMCA as its general notice-and-takedown regime. A DMCA-form notice can still provide useful facts, but sending one does not itself determine UK liability or compel a particular outcome.

7. Appeals, bad-faith reports and repeat abuse

To appeal, reply promptly with the ticket reference, evidence and requested outcome. A different reviewer will be used where reasonably practicable. Restrictions may remain while an appeal is assessed if restoration presents a material legal, security or safety risk.

Knowingly false notices, fabricated evidence, intimidation, mass duplicate reporting or use of this process to suppress lawful speech may be rejected. Good-faith mistakes are not penalised merely because a report is not upheld. Repeated or serious customer violations may lead to termination; repeated complaints alone do not establish wrongdoing.

8. Data handling

We use report data to investigate, protect systems, enforce contracts, comply with law and establish or defend claims. It may be shared with the customer, suppliers, advisers, specialist organisations and authorities as necessary and lawful. See the Privacy Notice and Law Enforcement and Government Requests Policy.