Trustnames Spam Policy outlines the company's commitment to preventing spam as a leading domain registrar and web hosting provider. It details their zero-tolerance stance, the process for reporting spam complaints, and the actions taken against verified offenders, while also providing domain owners with dispute rights. The policy also emphasizes the importance of accurate Whois information and the consequences of non-compliance with this requirement.
Key Takeaways
- Zero Tolerance Policy – Trustname has a strict no spam policy and actively combats spam-related abuse.
- Spam Complaint Procedure – All spam complaints must be submitted via the Abuse Report Form, accompanied by complete evidence. Incomplete reports will be rejected.
- Enforcement Actions – Verified spam offenders may face restrictions on hosting, domain suspension, or removal from zone files.
- Dispute Rights – Domain owners can dispute complaints by providing supporting documentation.
- Whois Accuracy – Inaccurate Whois contact information must be corrected within 72 hours of a support team request, or the domain will be placed on hold.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Key Takeaways
- What is Spam?
- Trustnames Anti-Spam Commitment
- Reporting and Processing Spam Complaints
- Trustnames Spam Report Processing
- Disputing A Spam Complaint/Decision
- Inaccurate Whois Information
As a leading domain registrar and web hosting provider, Trustname is aware of how its services (especially publishing domain information in the Whois database) can enable spam and takes its responsibility of preventing spam seriously.
What is Spam?
Spam is defined as the mass electronic distribution of unsolicited email to individual email accounts, aliases, or mailing lists and archives by entities seeking to promote a product, service, or website. Bad actors often exploit exposed email addresses, which can erode customer loyalty to legitimate businesses.
As Trustnames core services have the potential to be abused by spam, this Spam policy is designed to -
- Preventing Spam – Clearly outline Trustnames commitment to preventing spam and protecting our customers.
- Reporting – Define Trustnames spam report process and how we accept spam reports.
- Resolution – Outline how Trustname processes and resolves spam reports to ensure any loopholes are fixed.
Trustnames Anti-Spam Commitment
Trustname understands the damaging impact of spam, particularly on e-commerce businesses and unsuspecting individuals who click on spammy links to scam websites.
What’s more? Spam can clog inboxes, and out of frustration, your customers may delete emails in bulk, leading them to miss legitimate messages from your brand, thereby blocking off your business.
Spam also blocks off one of the most effective business communication channels - email - forcing businesses to seek paid traffic channels and spend more on marketing.
Trustname ensures that it accepts, responds to, and takes the necessary actions for all reasonable and credible reports of spam related to our services, originating from our network, or initiated by Trustname customers.
Trustname will never engage in spamming or any other behavior that resembles spam. All emails sent from Trustname are in line with our stated policies, have been requested and obtained permission for, and are part of our standard and accepted business practices.
At Trustname, all internet affiliated companies, including Internet Service Providers (ISPs), web hosting providers, and domain registrars, all have their parts to play in preventing spam.
In line with this shared responsibility, Trustname urges that domain registrants, web hosting companies, and relevant ISPs be involved in any spam reporting. However, Trustname also recognizes that many companies don’t take their roles in preventing spam seriously.
To deliver our best at Trustname and prevent spam, we have designed our Domain Registration Agreement to include policies that grant us additional authority to effectively address spam reports targeting domain holders listed on our platform.
Reporting and Processing Spam Complaints
First, for effective processing, all spam reports should be filed and submitted via Trustnames Abuse Report Form - Malware, Botnets & Spam.
Before submitting a spam report, we recommend that complainants read our Spam Reporting Process. At Trustname, legitimate emails are those that comply with the CAN-SPAM Act. You would also need to use Trustnames SPAM report code: S7Q-SPAM-Y9W when submitting your complaint.
Through our spam report form, we will collect all REQUIRED information and assign a request number to the complainant. We will need you to provide all the required information, and INCOMPLETE SPAM COMPLAINTS WILL NOT BE PROCESSED.
Necessary Information to Submit a Spam Report on Trustname
- The complainant's name.
- The complainant's contact information - email address.
- The complainant’s company name or organization (if any).
- The offending domain name(s).
- The offending email address and email header (if applicable).
- The jurisdiction of infringement and that of the registrant.
- Web host (if known).
- The subject and details of the report.
- A copy of the spam being reported (with all headers) and any additional documentation available (regarding the reported spam, inaccurate Whois information, etc.) is attached as files.
The contact information of the complainant will be kept confidential unless they expressly consent to its disclosure. Before Trustname starts processing a spam report, we will verify the contact information of the complainant. If we cannot verify the complainant’s contact information, we will NOT process the report.
Any reports made to Trustname out of the proper channels (i.e., using our specified form, providing the required information, and verifying them) will be considered spam. These reports will be disregarded, and/or the complainants will be blocked from sending future emails to Trustname to prevent abuse.
Trustnames Spam Report Processing
Each successful spam report received by Trustname will be assigned a ticket ID for easy reference and will be thoroughly investigated. The complainant will receive an email with the conclusion of Trustnames investigation and the eventual outcome.
Trustname will process all spam complaints following these steps -
- Verification: Trustname verifies the complainant’s contact information and contacts them to explain the spam investigation process.
- Service Identification: Trustname identifies which of our services the potential spammer is using to plan the next approach effectively.
- If the potential spammer is our Web Hosting Customer (this includes customers who have their domains using our parking services):
- Initial Verification: Trustname will first verify that the report is authentic and well-founded by reviewing the customer's mail log files.
- Temporary Suspension: If confirmed, Trustname may place a temporary restriction, and their account will be reinstated only after they submit a signed statement that assures that they will no longer engage in spam.
- Permanent Suspension: If we receive new spam reports that we verify to be authentic, we will permanently restrict the customer from using our services.
- If the potential spammer is our Domain Registration Customer
- Initial Verification: For domain registrations only, Trustname may not be providing mail services, so we cannot independently verify the legitimacy of a spam report. Trustname will reach out to the domain contact and the web hosting company. The domain contact will be required to respond within a specified timeframe to address the report and maintain an active domain status.
- To protect our customers, Trustname will maintain a record of complaints. After verifying that spamming activity is indeed occurring, Trustname will turn off the domain registration, removing the domain from the zone files (and consequently, the domain’s web presence and any attached email services).
- If a domain’s activities breach Trustname’s Domain Registration Agreement, Trustname will place the domain on HOLD and change the username. We will also remove the domain from the zone files until the domain expires, until the registration is revoked, or the domain holder resolves the breach. Note: We will not delete the domain at any time. This is to prevent the spammer from re-registering the domain on another Registrar.
- If the potential spammer is our Web Hosting Customer (this includes customers who have their domains using our parking services):
Disputing A Spam Complaint/Decision
All decisions Trustname makes regarding a spam report will be based on the information provided by the complainant. Trustname doesn’t take any liability for false complaints, but we will attempt to verify the legitimacy of every spam complaint before taking any action. If you are the owner of a reported domain and want to dispute a spam complaint or decision, you would need to follow these steps -
- The most effective step is to notify Trustname of the dispute by responding to the initial spam complaint notification we send to you via email.
- Provide Trustname with any documentation that supports your claims and refutes the complaints.
At our sole discretion, Trustname may require you (the domain owner) to be involved in the spam investigation. Refusing to participate at the requested level will be considered when we are making a final decision and may be used as the sole basis for a decision in the complainant’s favor.
Inaccurate Whois Information
As an ICANN-accredited domain registrar, Trustname is required to accept and investigate all reports citing inaccurate domain contact information that we publish in the Whois database.
To prevent the submission of clearly inaccurate Whois information and comply with ICANN regulations, Trustname utilizes a filtering system that flags potentially erroneous information for further detailed review.
You can find Trustname’s Whois database. All inaccurate Whois information reports should be submitted via Trustnames Abuse Report Form - Inaccurate Whois form. Before submitting a report, we advise complainants to review Trustnames Inaccurate Whois Reporting Process.
What Happens After You File a Report with Trustname
- The report MUST be submitted through the specified Abuse Report Form - Inaccurate Whois form, along with any documentation showing that the domain’s contact information is inaccurate, and attached as files.
- Trustname will verify that the contact information is inaccurate and attempt to contact the current domain holder. The current domain holder will be given 72 hours to contact us and update their contact information. If the changes are not made within the time frame, the domain will be placed on HOLD.
- Trustname will only remove the domain restriction after the domain owner provides appropriate proof of accurate contact information. The accepted documents to prove correct information include a government-issued identification document or other indisputable documentation.