Acceptable use policy.

The golden rule

Don't be a jerk. That covers about 95% of it. The rest is detail.

This policy exists because

Email deliverability is a shared resource. When someone abuses email — spam, phishing, list-renting — it tanks the reputation of every IP and domain in the same neighbourhood. So we take this seriously: not because we enjoy rules, but because it keeps the service working for everyone.

You must

• Only email people who expect it. The recipient should recognise you and have given consent — explicit or implied through a prior relationship.
• Comply with Australian spam laws. The Spam Act 2003 is the big one. Commercial messages need consent, sender identification, and a working unsubscribe mechanism.
• Respect opt-outs. If someone unsubscribes or replies asking to stop, stop. Immediately. Maintain your own suppression list, and the one we keep for you.
• Keep your API keys secure. Compromised key? Revoke it, mint a new one, tell us if there's been abuse.
• Authenticate properly. Don't disable DKIM signing or fake your From domain. The whole point of BYO domain is that it's actually yours.

You must not

• Send spam. Unsolicited bulk email, regardless of content, is not allowed. Full stop.
• Send illegal content. Anything that breaks Australian law, or the law of the country where your recipient is located.
• Phish or scam. No impersonating banks, government agencies, or anyone else. No fake urgency to trick people into clicking links or sharing information.
• Distribute malware. No links to malicious payloads, no executables in attachments, no exploit kits.
• Harass anyone. Threatening, abusive, or intimidating mail is grounds for immediate termination.
• Email scraped or purchased lists. If you didn't get the address directly from the person (or through clear consent), don't mail them.
• Run misleading From: headers. Use display names that match who you are. No look-alike domains designed to deceive.
• Overload the system. Don't blast the API beyond reasonable use. High volume? Talk to us first.
• Circumvent limits. No creating multiple accounts to dodge credit caps or rate limits.

What happens if you break the rules

Depends on the severity:

• Honest mistake? We'll reach out and help you fix it. No dramas.
• Repeated issues? Temporary suspension while we sort it out.
• Deliberate abuse? Immediate termination. No refund of credits. We may report the activity to authorities.

We try to be fair and proportionate. If you think we've made a mistake, email us and we'll review.

Bounce + complaint thresholds

To protect shared sending reputation, we monitor bounce + complaint rates. If your account crosses these thresholds we'll pause your sending and reach out:

• Bounce rate over 5% sustained over 24 hours
• Complaint rate (FBL / abuse reports) over 0.1% sustained over 24 hours

These are industry-standard guardrails, not arbitrary. If you're sending to a list with a known bad delivery profile, do list hygiene first.

Reporting abuse

If you've received unwanted email through our service, or notice abuse, email abuse@emailrelay.au. Every report gets looked at.

Changes

Updates will be posted here with a new effective date.

Questions?

Not sure if something's okay? Just ask. hello@emailrelay.au. Better to check first than find out later.