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: support@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 support@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
support@costmaps.com
Security Issues
support@costmaps.com
Legal Matters
support@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