Mailing List
Acceptable Use Policy

Effective: 27 March 2008

ARIN mailing lists provide information and facilitate discussion of subjects pertinent to the ARIN Mission Statement. The general purpose of each list is described on the ARIN website.  ARIN maintains mailing lists at its sole discretion and may create, modify, or remove a mailing list or change the subscriber requirements of its lists at any time.  ARIN may cancel a subscription if the individual or his/her organization no longer meets the list’s posted subscription requirements.  

List Guidelines

  1. Discussion will focus on the stated purpose of the list.
  2. List participants acknowledge that mailing list posts are publicly available on ARIN mailing lists, archived on the ARIN website, may be used in materials related to ARIN's process, procedures, operations, and are subject to legal rules of discovery.
  3. Role accounts may be subscribed to mailing lists, as long as the e-mail account does not generate auto-reply messages, such as ticketing messages.
  4. Auto-reply messages, such as out-of-office messages, are prohibited from any e-mail account subscribed to the list.
  5. List administration messages, such as unsubscribe requests, must not be sent to the list. Instructions on how to submit mailing-list related requests are detailed on ARIN's website.
  6. Statements of a political or philosophical nature are discouraged.
  7. List participants do not have the right to demand or expect explanations from ARIN on a routine basis in response to their postings.

Specifically Prohibited Activities

The following activities are specifically prohibited on any ARIN mailing list:

  1. Statements that include foul language, personal character attacks, or show disrespect for other participants, including ARIN.
  2. Statements that are slanderous or libelous, including making defamatory and untrue accusations of criminal conduct.
  3. Product marketing.
  4. Use or distribution of others’ comments or e-mail addresses for any purpose other than to discuss relevant issues pertaining to approved topics.
  5. Posts which interfere with the customary communications on the list.
  6. Postings by fictional or non-identifiable names and addresses.
  7. Posting knowingly false or fictitious statements.
  8. Actions, that while not described specifically here, are similar to the conduct described.

Reporting Violations and Enforcement

ARIN reserves the right to maintain order and decorum on the mailing lists it manages, to include imposing disciplinary actions on individual mailing list subscribers.  At its own discretion, ARIN may take any one or more of the following actions in response to a reported violation or its own determination that a violation has occurred:

  1. Issue the offender a written warning; and/or
  2. Filter/remove the offender’s message(s); and/or
  3. Immediately revoke the offender’s posting privileges to one or all ARIN mailing list(s); and/or
  4. Revoke posting privileges for a specified time period or permanently.

Procedures

ARIN’s decision pursuant to this policy will be made by the President, with the advice of ARIN’s counsel, and a three member standing AUP committee. The committee is comprised of one member appointed by the Board of Trustees, one member appointed from the Advisory Council, and one member selected by the President from a volunteer pool of members in good standing. Committee members serve a one-year term beginning in February of each year and may be reappointed.

Whenever possible, the President will ask the AUP committee to review the proposed course of action to ensure the decision is sound and consistent with the described procedures. Consultation with the committee may not occur when exigent circumstances exist. In such a circumstance, the committee will be notified of the action. In cases where an alleged offender wishes to submit additional information, or to seek reconsideration of a decision, this committee will also be asked to review such materials and report its findings to the President.

Community members may report to ARIN what they believe to be a violation of this AUP by notifying aupabuse@arin.net.  Information provided must include the mailing list name (ppml/arin-discuss), date of post, time of post, name of poster and subject header, and a reference to the reason why it is believed to violate this AUP.

Reservation of Rights

Notwithstanding anything in this policy, ARIN specifically reserves the right to pursue any remedy in law or equity.