Acceptable Use Policy

1. Purpose

1.1. This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") defines the permitted and prohibited uses of SimplySINT's open-source intelligence (OSINT) due diligence services. This policy supplements and is incorporated into our Terms of Service.

1.2. SimplySINT provides intelligence services to support legitimate business decisions. We are committed to ensuring our services are used ethically, lawfully, and responsibly.

1.3. All clients are required to comply with this AUP. Ignorance of this policy does not excuse violations.

2. Permitted Uses

SimplySINT services may be used for the following legitimate purposes:

• Corporate Due Diligence: Pre-transaction screening of business partners, vendors, suppliers, and acquisition targets.
• Investment Screening: Pre-investment due diligence on companies, funds, and principals for investors, venture capital, and private equity firms.
• Regulatory Compliance: KYC/AML compliance, sanctions screening, and regulatory risk assessment as required by applicable law.
• Litigation Support: Background research and intelligence gathering in support of pending or anticipated legal proceedings, conducted under the direction of legal counsel.
• Risk Management: Ongoing monitoring and assessment of business relationships, supply chains, and counterparty risk.
• Insurance Underwriting: Risk assessment for insurance underwriting and claims investigation purposes.
• Fraud Investigation: Investigation of suspected fraud, embezzlement, or financial misconduct within legitimate business contexts.
• Journalistic Research: Investigative journalism conducted in the public interest, subject to applicable press ethics standards.

3. Prohibited Uses

The following uses of SimplySINT services are strictly prohibited:

3.1. Harassment and Stalking

• Using reports to stalk, harass, threaten, or intimidate any individual.
• Conducting investigations for the purpose of personal vendettas or domestic disputes.
• Using information obtained to contact, approach, or confront investigation subjects without lawful basis.

3.2. Illegal Activity

• Using reports to facilitate, further, or conceal any criminal activity.
• Using services for money laundering, terrorism financing, or sanctions evasion.
• Conducting investigations that would constitute illegal surveillance under applicable law.
• Using reports to facilitate identity theft, fraud, or social engineering attacks.

3.3. Discrimination

• Using reports to discriminate against individuals based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, or any other protected characteristic.
• Using services for employment screening in violation of applicable employment law (e.g., FCRA in the United States).
• Using reports to deny housing, credit, insurance, or other services in violation of anti-discrimination laws.

3.4. Unauthorized Surveillance

• Conducting investigations on individuals without a legitimate business purpose or lawful basis.
• Using services for political opposition research targeting private citizens.
• Mass surveillance or profiling of individuals or groups.
• Monitoring individuals' personal activities, relationships, or movements.

3.5. Intellectual Property Violations

• Reselling, redistributing, or publicly publishing SimplySINT reports without written permission.
• Using reports to create competing intelligence products or services.
• Reverse-engineering SimplySINT's methodologies, source lists, or analytical frameworks.
• Scraping, automated extraction, or systematic downloading of platform content.

3.6. Platform Abuse

• Creating multiple accounts to circumvent usage limits or restrictions.
• Providing false or misleading information in order requests.
• Attempting to access other users' accounts, reports, or data.
• Interfering with the platform's operation, security, or availability.
• Using automated tools to interact with the platform without authorization.

4. Client Responsibilities

4.1. Lawful Basis: You represent and warrant that you have a lawful basis for each investigation you request. You are solely responsible for ensuring your use of our services complies with all applicable laws and regulations in your jurisdiction.

4.2. Accurate Information: You must provide accurate and truthful information when placing orders. Deliberately providing false target information or misleading investigation parameters is a violation of this policy.

4.3. Report Handling: You are responsible for the secure handling of delivered reports and must restrict access to authorized personnel within your organization.

4.4. Downstream Use: You are responsible for ensuring that any person or entity with whom you share report information also complies with applicable laws and this AUP.

5. Compliance Monitoring

5.1. SimplySINT reserves the right to review orders and usage patterns to ensure compliance with this AUP. We may decline or cancel orders that we reasonably believe violate this policy.

5.2. We may request additional information about the purpose of an investigation if we have reasonable grounds to suspect a potential AUP violation.

5.3. We maintain internal review processes to identify and prevent misuse of our services.

6. Enforcement

6.1. Violations of this AUP may result in one or more of the following actions, at SimplySINT's sole discretion:

• Warning: Written notice of the violation with a requirement to cease the prohibited activity.
• Order Cancellation: Cancellation of pending orders associated with the violation.
• Account Suspension: Temporary suspension of account access pending investigation.
• Account Termination: Permanent termination of the account without refund of any prepaid balance.
• Legal Action: Referral to appropriate law enforcement authorities and/or pursuit of civil remedies.

6.2. Serious violations (including harassment, stalking, facilitating illegal activity, or unauthorized surveillance) will result in immediate account termination without prior warning.

7. Reporting Violations

7.1. If you become aware of any use of SimplySINT services that violates this AUP, please report it immediately through the contact page or the support form in your dashboard.

7.2. Reports of violations will be investigated promptly and treated confidentially. We will not disclose the identity of the reporter to the extent permitted by law.

8. Regulatory Considerations

8.1. SimplySINT services are not a substitute for regulated background check services. If your jurisdiction requires specific licensing or compliance procedures for background investigations (e.g., FCRA compliance in the United States), you are responsible for ensuring compliance.

8.2. Reports should not be used as the sole basis for adverse employment decisions, credit decisions, insurance underwriting decisions, or housing decisions without ensuring compliance with applicable consumer protection laws.

8.3. Clients in regulated industries (financial services, insurance, healthcare) are responsible for ensuring their use of our services complies with applicable industry-specific regulations.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this AUP from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via email to registered users. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact

For questions about this Acceptable Use Policy, please contact us through the contact page or the support form in your account dashboard.