# Acceptable use policy for Free (test phase), version free-beta-1

> Archive copy of version free-beta-1: Acceptable use policy for Free (test phase). The text remains available unchanged at this address.

> **Archive copy of version free-beta-1.** Fixed address of this version: `/en/legal-archive/free-beta-1/acceptable-use-free/`. The text remains available here unchanged. If a newer version is in force, this is an earlier version; the version in force is at [Acceptable use policy](https://privymail.eu/en/acceptable-use-free.md).

## The essentials first

- Use privymail.eu for personal messages: no spam, no fraud, no malware, no harassment, no attacks on systems.
- Do not get around the limits of the plan, not even with several accounts, and do not create accounts automatically or in advance.
- We choose the mildest measure. For serious breaches and in case of danger we suspend at once.
- You report abuse by email to legal@patchletter.com or hello@patchletter.com.

## 1. Scope and principle

1.1 These rules apply to everyone who uses an account in the Free plan during the test phase. They are part of the contract under the [Terms of use](https://privymail.eu/en/legal-archive/free-beta-1/terms-free.md); suspension and termination follow clauses 6 and 7 of those terms.

1.2 The rules protect other users, third parties and the operation of the service. The number of accounts is meant to be limited in the test phase, and abuse of one account affects everyone else.

1.3 The principle: you use the service only for purposes the law permits, and in such a way that other users, third parties and the operation of the service come to no harm.

## 2. What is not allowed

2.1 Spam and unsolicited bulk messages. It is not allowed to

- send messages in large numbers to recipients who did not ask for them, including to other privymail.eu users,
- send advertising without the recipients' consent where the law requires consent (section 7 UWG),
- send messages in series by script or program, for example as a newsletter,
- forge or disguise the sender, the headers or the origin of a message.

Bulk sending with consent, for example a club circular, is not provided for in the Free test.

2.2 Fraud and deception. It is not allowed to

- obtain login data, payment data or other confidential details by deception (phishing),
- pose as another person, a company, an authority, as privymail.eu or as patchletter in order to deceive others,
- use the service for fraud or to prepare it, for example for advance-fee fraud, forged invoices or blackmail.

2.3 Malware. It is not allowed to send malware, to hold it ready for download or to control it through the service.

2.4 Unlawful and infringing content. It is not allowed to use the service to send, store or make available content that breaks the law. This includes in particular

- depictions of sexualised violence against children and young people,
- content that incites hatred or violence against people or calls for criminal acts,
- threats, coercion, stalking and targeted harassment of individuals,
- content that infringes copyright, trademark, personality or other rights of third parties, including publishing other people's private data against their will.

2.5 Attacks and misuse of technology. It is not allowed to

- break into other people's systems, networks or accounts, to attempt to do so, or to scan other people's systems for vulnerabilities without permission,
- overload systems or disrupt their operation, including ours,
- guess passwords by mass trial or test stolen credentials,
- intercept or spy on data that is not meant for you,
- get around the security measures and limits of privymail.eu.

2.6 Getting around limits. It is not allowed to get around the limits of the plan that the terms of use name for storage, sending or registration, for example through several Free accounts, through forwarding or through scripts that probe or split limits.

2.7 Registration abuse. It is not allowed to

- create accounts automatically or in large numbers, including by hand,
- get around the protection of registration, such as the computational puzzle or the limits,
- create accounts to occupy places or reserve addresses without using them (placeholder accounts),
- choose addresses that give the impression of coming from the operator or from another body.

2.8 Passing on and resale. It is not allowed to

- sell, rent, transfer or hand over your account or address to others,
- resell the service or parts of it, or provide it to third parties as your own offering,
- use the service as infrastructure for other people's applications, for example as a sending service or as forwarding for other people's traffic.

## 3. Vulnerabilities and tests

3.1 If you have found a vulnerability, report it and do not exploit it. You carry out load tests and security tests on the service only after agreeing with us beforehand.

3.2 Report vulnerabilities by email to [legal@patchletter.com](mailto:legal@patchletter.com).

## 4. How we respond to violations

4.1 We choose the mildest measure that ends the violation and protects others. Severity, duration, repetition and the danger to others count.

4.2 The stages are:

- **Notice.** We ask you to end the violation and, as far as reasonable, set a period of 3 days for that.
- **Sending limits.** The sending limits of the plan apply automatically. We do not promise whether and how we restrict the sending of an individual account beyond that; we do not promise a fixed period within which a person reviews.
- **Suspension.** We suspend the account.
- **Termination and deletion.** For serious or repeated violations we terminate the contract under the terms of use; the account is deleted afterwards.

4.3 We may suspend or terminate at once without prior notice if a violation is serious (clauses 2.2 to 2.5), if there is a danger to others, to security or to operation, or if an account was created for registration abuse (clause 2.7).

4.4 Often you can remove the cause yourself: change the password, revoke app passwords, clean the affected device, stop sending. Once the reason no longer applies, we lift the measure.

4.5 We endeavour to tell you what we have done, why, and how you can object, as far as that is possible and no law or authority forbids it.

4.6 You can object to any measure. Write to [legal@patchletter.com](mailto:legal@patchletter.com), give your address and explain your view. We examine the objection and answer with reasons, on working days and on a best-effort basis. Your statutory rights remain unaffected.

4.7 We do not disclose the details of our protective measures, such as the exact thresholds of limits, because that would make it easier to get around them. The limits of the plan are set out in the terms of use.

4.8 We keep reports and notes about abuse cases for at most 90 days (the suspension status of an account remains until the account is deleted), unless ongoing proceedings or a legal duty require otherwise. The [Privacy information](https://privymail.eu/en/legal-archive/free-beta-1/privacy-free.md) gives details.

4.9 If we suspect criminal offences, we may involve the competent authorities. We hand over data only as far as we are entitled or obliged to.

## 5. Reporting abuse

5.1 Anyone can report abuse that comes from an address at privymail.eu. You do not need an account with us to do so.

5.2 Write to [legal@patchletter.com](mailto:legal@patchletter.com) or [hello@patchletter.com](mailto:hello@patchletter.com). You can reach us by telephone on [+49 209 73085753](tel:+4920973085753) and by post at the address in the [Legal notice](https://privymail.eu/en/legal.md). Messages to abuse@privymail.eu or postmaster@privymail.eu are not intended as a reporting route; use the routes named here.

5.3 Helpful are:

- the complete message with all headers, preferably as an attachment,
- date and time with the time zone,
- the affected privymail.eu address,
- a short description of what happened,
- an address where we can ask follow-up questions.

5.4 We examine every report and take measures under clause 4 if it is substantiated. You receive an acknowledgement and feedback on working days and on a best-effort basis.

5.5 We give no information about users to those who report.

## 6. What we do not do to enforce the rules

6.1 We do not read your messages to check compliance with these rules, and we do not search stored messages for violations.

6.2 We see messages when someone sends them to us, for example as part of a report, or when you show them to us.

6.3 Legal duties towards authorities and courts remain.

## 7. Version

7.1 Version: free-beta-1 dated 21 October 2026.

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- privymail.eu: patchletter UG (haftungsbeschränkt) · Germany
- Commit: `71cd013265df`
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- Deutsche Fassung: https://privymail.eu/legal-archive/free-beta-1/acceptable-use-free.md