Account suspended

[nickwolt41]

Hi everyone,


I'm just posting here because I think my account has been unrightfully suspendend.
The reason given for the suspension was: "Violation of x10hosting's terms of service. Details: file hosting/storage software is forbidden in the x10hosting terms of service."
I do admit that I may have been hosting some files. But, after a closer look at the ToS, I see this: "Every file on your site must have to do with the website you put up, we are not a file hosting service." So, I conclude from that that you are allowed to host files that have something to do with your website (otherwise you wouldn't have a website, obviously). That's exactly what I've done, and nothing else.
I'll give a short summary of what I have (or had) on my website:

• drupal (7.23, latest version)
• joomla (3.1.5, latest version)
• phpBB (3.0.11, latest version)
• elgg (1.8.16, latest version)
• ownCloud (5.0.11, latest version)

I believe that's all the software I've installed on my website. The first four should be OK, and I'm not using them to host files in any way (except for avatars - profile pictures). And than there's ownCloud. I know that this is basically file hosting software, and even then I installed it. But, I was just intending to host files that have something to do with my website. Things like:

• Old zip files of various software that I've installed (in the present and in the past)
• Image files (that have something to do with my website)
• Some .sql files (backups of my database)
• And some other (small) files.

Besides that I wasn't (intending to) using it for anything else. I was basically just testing it out, but I was quite disappointed with it, and wanted to uninstall it.
And then my account was suspended.

I immediately submitted an appeal after my account was suspended (on the 13th of september, how ironic), and this was the response:

Hello,

Thank you for submitting an appeal against the suspension imposed upon your x10Hosting free web hosting account. We have
reviewed your account and the information included within your appeal. Unfortunately after careful consideration the
information submitted with your appeal does not adequately justify removal of the suspension.

In accordance with the x10Hosting Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy agreed to upon registration the suspension will
remain permanently. This decision is final.

At this time, data backups are not available as detailed in sections 6 and 8 of the x10Hosting Terms of Service.

http://x10hosting.com/terms

Best regards,
The x10Hosting Abuse Team

As you all see, Eric B clearly says that my appeal has been rejected because, and I quote, "(...) the information submitted with your appeal does not adequately justify removal of the suspension."
I understand that. But, what I don't understand is: which files are supposedly not allowed? What have I done exactly to have my account suspended? That's one thing that I'd like to know. I'd like some explanation, please!
It's a pity that you can't reply to a reply and/or edit your original appeal, so I have to post here.

I hope that I've provided enough information (reply if you want more), I want an explanation, and I would like my account to be unsuspended (if possible).

EDIT: I just saw a post (https://community.x10hosting.com/threads/account-suspension-help.190553/) by a user whose account was suspended because of (almost) the same reasons as my account was suspended. The ownCloud installation was removed and his (or her) account was unsuspended. Could you do the same with my account?


With kind regards,
Nick Wolt.

PS.: For the other ToS sections: I don't host warez or any other illegal content, my account isn't inactive and I log in at least once every two weeks, I don't run any bots (quite the contrary, I block all incoming bots with a robots.txt file) or any scripts that run continuously, I don't run any cron tabs/jobs at the moment, I don't have any adult material, and the primary language is English. I don't use proxies on my website, I don't have any "auto-generated content", and I don't host any image/video galleries or flash-arcades.
PPS.: I'm just wondering why you offer "Unmetered disk space and bandwith"... Is it for very big websites or something like that?

 

[essellar]

The backups are file storage; Free Hosting accounts may not be used for backups, etc. The space is provided for hosting web sites, not for personal "cloud" disk space. And yes, the unlimited/unmetered storage and bandwidth are provided for very big web sites.

The "files that have something to do with your website" clause in the ToS (which you've handily taken out of context, as it applies to downloadable files on your site) is self-explanatory — your site is not "about" backups of your databases or zipped versions of software packages you may have installed. It specifically mentions applications that you may have developed and distribute from your site as an example, while prohibiting mirrors of other distribution channels; it's not difficult to extend that example to figure out what would be acceptable. Take it as read that "something to do with your website" means that your website has to be using the files in some way (there's a bit of leeway there; files may be left over from an older design or may be part of a newer design you're working on, or the may be part of the default installation of the software you're using, etc., but again, it's not hard to figure out what's reasonable).

Note that this is not a dispute resolution channel and that I don't speak for x10Hosting, but it does sound like you were storing, and were planning to store, files that would put you in violation of the ToS.

 

[nickwolt41]

Thanks for your look on this situation, essellar, I didn't really think of it in that way...
I could say that I kind of forgot about those archive files and that I don't need them and that they're all in the ownCloud installation which can be deleted (as I already said), but that's hardly an excuse, is it? I should've predicted that this would happen and deleted the files before something like this would happen... But, I have to say that those files are quite old and have never been detected until I put them under the ownCloud installation...
I am/was basically using it as a personal website, with a few registered users who check in sometimes (all of them are friends of mine).

 

[essellar]

Yeah, sometimes it' the installation of something that would warrant a review that's the first thing that would trigger a review. And hindsight (as well as sideline gawking) is always 20/20, isn't it? Sorry you lost everything in the deal.

 

[Livewire]

" I know that this is basically file hosting software, and even then I installed it." is the issue in question here. The other user's install was unused, and the only reasons I erased the software in advance were that 1, it wasn't in use, 2, if I had left it the account would have immediately have been re-suspended due to it being present, and 3, his suspension was -not- for file hosting software being detected/used, it was for a compromised media wiki.

That said, I will lift the suspension once the ownCloud folder finishes being erased from the account (about 1-2 minutes). As far as your description of what you had intended to use OwnCloud for, it won't fly under the Terms of Service - the old zip files would be considered backups, and thus should be stored on your local system or a backup provider and not x10hosting, as would the .sql backups. The rest shouldn't need OwnCloud to be used properly within a website. Don't waste the unsuspension - in cases like this, we can only do it once, if at all.

 

[nickwolt41]

Thanks for unsuspending my account! I'm so grateful, and I won't do the aforementioned things again.