This policy sets out what the websites and services we provide must not be used for. It's Schedule 4 of our Terms of Business, so it's part of every client contract. It applies to our clients, their staff, and anyone who uses a website or service we host or manage for them. If this policy and the Terms disagree, the Terms apply.
Want to report something? Email hello@northpin.studio with “Content report” in the subject line. What to include, and what happens next, is explained below.
What's not allowed
You must not use a website, form, email service or hosting that we provide for any of the following.
- Illegal content or activity. Anything that breaks the law in the UK, or in the countries your website is aimed at. That includes fraud, selling illegal or restricted goods, and content that encourages violence, terrorism or hatred.
- Harm to children. Any content that sexualises, exploits or endangers children. We remove it at once and report it to the authorities.
- Breaking other people's rights. Text, photos, videos, logos, fonts or trade marks you don't have the right to use. Counterfeit goods. Content that is defamatory or invades someone's privacy.
- Malware, phishing and hacking. Viruses and other harmful code, hidden crypto-mining, phishing pages, or any attempt to get into systems, accounts or data you're not allowed to access. No attacks on our systems or anyone else's, and nothing designed to overload them.
- Spam. Sending unwanted bulk messages through our forms, email routing or hosting, or collecting email addresses to do so.
- Fake reviews and testimonials. Writing, buying or commissioning reviews. Offering rewards for reviews without saying so. Showing only hand-picked positive reviews, or only asking happy customers to leave one. Our Review & testimonial policy explains the rules we follow ourselves.
- Misleading claims. False or unproven health, medical, dental, cosmetic, financial or investment claims. Made-up statistics or results. Hidden fees, fake “was” prices, fake countdowns or false scarcity. Awards, trust marks or endorsements you haven't earned.
- Adult or gambling content without our approval. Sexually explicit material, adult services, gambling, betting and lotteries need our written approval first. They must also be legal wherever your website is aimed. We may say no.
- Misusing personal data. Collecting or using personal data without a lawful reason or a clear privacy notice. Setting tracking cookies without consent where the law requires it. Selling or sharing data you have no right to share.
- Impersonation. Pretending to be another business, a person or a public body, or suggesting a link or endorsement that doesn't exist.
- Sanctions. Using our services for, or on behalf of, anyone under UK sanctions.
Content we won't create
Even if you ask, we won't write, design or publish:
- reviews or testimonials written by us, or by anyone other than the real customer (we only add genuine testimonials that you supply, as our Review & testimonial policy explains);
- statistics, results or claims you can't back up;
- health, medical or financial claims that break advertising rules;
- photos, logos or other material you don't have the right to use;
- copies of another business's website or content.
Your responsibilities
- Everything you give us, or add to your site yourself, is yours or properly licensed, true and lawful.
- You follow the rules for your sector, such as the advertising rules for dental practices and clinics.
- You're responsible for your own legal duties as a business, including your privacy notice, cookie consent, the prices you show and the reviews on your site.
- You keep your logins safe. Tell us straight away if you think someone else has access to them.
How to report a problem
Anyone can report content on a website we host or manage. Email hello@northpin.studio with “Content report” in the subject line, and include:
- the web address (URL) of the content;
- what the problem is, and why you think it's unlawful or breaks this policy;
- for copyright or trade mark complaints, what you own and how the content uses it;
- your name and contact details, and whether you're acting for someone else;
- a statement that the information in your report is accurate, as far as you know.
For a security issue, such as a hacked page or a weakness you've found, use the subject line “Security”. For questions about how we handle personal data, email privacy@northpin.studio.
What happens after you report
- We check it promptly. We confirm we've received your report and review it.
- Urgent cases come first. If content is clearly illegal, puts people at risk or is a security threat (such as malware or phishing), we take it down straight away. Then we tell the client.
- The client gets a chance to respond. In other cases, we tell the client about the report and ask for their response, normally within 5 working days. We only share your contact details with the client if you agree, or if the law requires it.
- We decide and tell you both. We may remove the content, restrict it, ask for changes, or leave it up. We tell you and the client what we've decided.
- Decisions can be challenged. If your content was removed and you think we got it wrong, reply with your reasons. We'll look again, and restore the content if the complaint wasn't justified.
We keep a record of every report and decision. If a report is about a disagreement between a client and someone else, such as who owns a photo, we can't settle it for them. We may restrict the content until it's resolved. Please don't send false or abusive reports.
Suspension
We may suspend or restrict a website, a page, a form or an account if:
- we receive a credible legal complaint about it;
- it's a security risk to visitors, to us or to other clients, for example after a hack;
- it breaks this policy and hasn't been fixed after we've asked; or
- the law, a court or a regulator requires it.
Where we can, and where the law allows, we'll tell you before we act. In urgent cases we act first and tell you straight after. We only restrict what's needed, such as one page rather than your whole site. We restore it as soon as the problem is fixed.
Serious or repeated breaches of this policy are a material breach of the Terms of Business, and we may end our agreement as the Terms set out. The Terms also explain how a suspension affects fees and liability. Suspension for unpaid invoices is covered by the Terms, not by this policy.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when the law or the way we work changes. If a change is significant, we'll email our clients before it takes effect. The date at the top of this page shows when it last changed.