Acceptable Use Policy

1. Introduction

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") governs your use of CostMaps (the "Service"). This AUP is part of our Terms of Service. Violation may result in suspension or termination of your account.

2. Prohibited Uses

You may NOT use the Service to:

Illegal Activities

• Violate any local, state, national, or international law
• Engage in fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading activities
• Facilitate or promote illegal activities
• Violate export control or sanctions laws

Intellectual Property Violations

• Infringe on copyrights, trademarks, patents, or other IP rights
• Redistribute our data without permission
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble our Service
• Remove or modify copyright notices

Abuse of Service

• Exceed API rate limits through multiple accounts
• Use automated systems to scrape data beyond API terms
• Bypass security measures or access controls
• Use the Service to build a competing service
• Resell or white-label without authorization
• Share API keys with unauthorized third parties

Security Violations

• Attempt unauthorized access to systems
• Probe, scan, or test vulnerabilities
• Breach authentication or security measures
• Execute DoS or DDoS attacks
• Introduce viruses, malware, or harmful code

Harassment and Abuse

• Harass, threaten, intimidate, or abuse others
• Impersonate others or misrepresent identity
• Collect personal information without consent
• Engage in hate speech or discriminatory conduct

API-Specific Prohibitions

• Cache data for more than 24 hours without updates
• Modify or remove data attribution requirements
• Create misleading representations of data
• Aggregate our data with competitors' in competing products

3. Responsible Use Guidelines

Best Practices

API Usage

✅ Respect rate limits and error handling
✅ Cache responses appropriately
✅ Implement exponential backoff
✅ Monitor usage within tier limits
✅ Keep API keys secure

Data Usage

✅ Provide proper attribution
✅ Verify critical data from sources
✅ Understand data limitations
✅ Use data ethically
✅ Respect user privacy

Account Security

✅ Use strong, unique passwords
✅ Enable two-factor authentication
✅ Keep contact info current
✅ Rotate API keys periodically
✅ Monitor for suspicious activity

Compliance

✅ Comply with data protection laws
✅ Follow export control regulations
✅ Respect intellectual property
✅ Report security issues responsibly

4. Enforcement

Warning

For minor or first-time violations

Suspension

Temporary suspension for AUP violations, suspicious activity, or payment failures

Termination

Permanent termination for serious or repeated violations, illegal activities, or security threats

No refunds for AUP violations

5. Reporting Violations

How to Report

Email: abuse@costmaps.com

Subject: "AUP Violation Report"

Include: Description, evidence (URLs, screenshots), your contact info, date/time

Response Time: 5 business days

6. Security Vulnerability Disclosure

Responsible Disclosure

If you discover a security vulnerability:

✅ Report it to security@costmaps.com immediately
✅ Provide detailed reproduction steps
✅ Allow reasonable time for us to fix it
✅ Don't exploit the vulnerability

Do NOT:

❌ Publicly disclose before we address it
❌ Access or modify others' data
❌ Perform DoS/DDoS attacks
❌ Engage in social engineering

7. Examples of Acceptable Use

✅ Acceptable API Use

• Building apps that use our data
• Internal business tools
• Visualizations and reports
• Research and analysis
• Value-added services (with license)

✅ Acceptable Data Use

• Business decision-making
• Combining with your own data
• Publishing reports (with attribution)
• Educational purposes
• User-facing tools

8. Contact Information

General Inquiries

support@costmaps.com

Abuse Reports

abuse@costmaps.com

Security Issues

security@costmaps.com

Legal Matters

legal@costmaps.com

Summary

✅ DO:

• Use according to your tier
• Respect rate limits
• Keep API keys secure
• Provide attribution
• Report vulnerabilities responsibly

❌ DON'T:

• Violate laws
• Abuse the Service
• Share or resell without permission
• Attempt to hack
• Infringe IP rights