Rules for lawful and responsible use of applicable QNS-coordinated technology and communications services
Version 1.3 | Published: September 6, 2026 | Effective Date: September 6, 2026
Scope This AUP is an umbrella QNS policy. A carrier, internet provider, managed-service provider, cloud provider, communications provider, or other independent service provider may impose its own additional or more specific acceptable-use requirements for its service. Those provider requirements remain applicable to the provider service.
1. Applicability
This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") applies when an Agreement, Order, SOW, or service description incorporates it for a QNS-provided, QNS-managed, QNS-resold, or QNS-coordinated network, internet, communications, managed technology, security, software, or related service. The applicable transaction document should identify the service, QNS’s role, and any additional Provider-specific rules. QNS’s ability to administer, monitor, restrict, suspend, or coordinate action depends on the role and authority stated in those documents and the applicable Provider terms. Customer is responsible for ensuring that its employees, contractors, guests, devices, and other users under Customer’s control comply with this AUP.
2. General Rule
Services must be used lawfully, responsibly, and in a manner that does not harm people, systems, networks, Providers, or other users; interfere with service operation; expose QNS or a Provider to unreasonable security or legal risk; or violate an applicable Provider policy.
3. Prohibited Activity
Without limiting the general rule, Customer may not use an applicable service to:
Break the law. Commit, facilitate, or promote fraud, theft, unlawful surveillance, unauthorized interception, illegal gambling, unlawful threats, harassment, trafficking, exploitation, or other unlawful conduct.
Violate intellectual-property or privacy rights. Infringe copyright, trademark, trade-secret, publicity, confidentiality, privacy, or data-protection rights.
Attack or bypass security. Gain unauthorized access; scan, probe, exploit, or attack systems without authorization; defeat authentication or access controls; intercept credentials; or use stolen or compromised credentials.
Distribute harmful code. Create, transmit, host, or facilitate malware, ransomware, destructive code, botnets, credential theft, or other malicious software or payloads.
Disrupt networks or services. Create denial-of-service conditions, excessive traffic, abnormal resource consumption, signaling abuse, or other activity that materially degrades a network, system, service, or user experience.
Send spam or abusive communications. Send unsolicited bulk email or messaging, unlawful robocalls or robotexts, deceptive sender information, spoofed communications, phishing, or communications that violate consent, do-not-contact, carrier, or anti-spam requirements.
Misrepresent identity or authorization. Impersonate another person or organization, falsify headers or origin information, or represent that QNS or a Provider authorized conduct it did not authorize.
Resell or expose a service improperly. Resell, share, publish, or make a service available outside the authorized users, locations, purposes, or commercial model stated in the applicable agreement. Authorized guest Wi-Fi, franchisee, contractor, affiliate, remote-support, or multi-location use is not prohibited when the applicable Agreement, Order/SOW, and Provider terms expressly or reasonably permit that use.
Circumvent technical restrictions. Bypass bandwidth, licensing, device, user, geographic, content, security, authentication, or usage limitations implemented by QNS or a Provider.
Maintain avoidable security risks. Knowingly operate compromised devices, leave a known material vulnerability unaddressed when it creates a material risk to the applicable service or other users, or fail to take reasonable steps after notice of an active threat associated with Customer-controlled systems.
4. Messaging and Telecommunications
Customer must comply with laws, carrier rules, consent requirements, opt-out requirements, sender-identification rules, registration requirements, and service-specific restrictions applicable to calling, texting, email, or other communications. Customer may not use a QNS-coordinated communications service to send messages for which it lacks the legally required consent or to evade a carrier or provider’s registration, filtering, or anti-abuse controls.
If Customer uses its own application, CRM, dialer, or messaging automation with a Provider Service, Customer remains responsible for the content, recipient list, consent records, and configuration of that Customer-controlled activity unless an Order expressly assigns a specific compliance function to QNS.
This Section governs Customer-originated communications sent through an applicable service. Text messages sent by QNS regarding QNS’s own relationship are governed separately by the QNS SMS Terms & Conditions and QNS’s own consent and suppression practices.
5. Security Responsibilities
Use reasonable authentication practices and protect administrator and service credentials.
Apply security updates and maintain supported software and devices where Customer controls those systems.
Restrict administrative access to authorized personnel and remove access that is no longer needed.
Maintain reasonable endpoint, network, and physical safeguards appropriate to the environment.
Notify QNS or the applicable Provider promptly if Customer discovers activity that may materially affect the security or integrity of the service.
Cooperate with reasonable containment, remediation, investigation, and evidence-preservation steps when a security or abuse incident affects the service.
6. Provider-Specific Rules
Provider Services may be subject to the Provider’s own AUP, tariffs, technical policies, content restrictions, security requirements, or regulatory conditions. Customer must comply with those rules to the extent they apply to the Provider Service. If a Provider rule is more restrictive than this AUP for that Provider Service, the Provider rule controls for that service. QNS does not waive a Provider requirement by failing to repeat it in this AUP.
7. Monitoring and Investigation
QNS does not undertake a general duty to monitor Customer content, traffic, devices, accounts, or security posture. Any monitoring, management, security, or incident-response service QNS agrees to provide is limited to the scope expressly stated in the applicable Agreement, Order, or SOW; this AUP does not create a 24/7 monitoring, security-operations-center, vulnerability-management, or incident-response commitment. QNS or a Provider may, however, use operational, security, abuse, and performance information reasonably necessary to operate the service, protect systems, investigate suspected violations, comply with law, respond to security incidents, or enforce applicable terms. Such activity is subject to applicable privacy and communications laws.
8. Enforcement
When QNS reasonably believes a violation creates material risk, QNS may require corrective action and may take or coordinate proportionate protective measures within QNS’s actual control, including restricting affected activity or suspending an affected QNS-controlled service. When a Provider controls the service, the Provider may act independently under its own terms, including blocking traffic or suspending or terminating service. QNS may pass through or coordinate a Provider notice, emergency action, or required remediation step without representing that QNS controlled the Provider’s decision.
QNS will provide notice and a reasonable opportunity to cure when practical, but QNS or a Provider may act immediately when reasonably necessary to address an active security threat, fraud, unlawful conduct, network abuse, risk to other users, or a legal or carrier requirement.
9. Reporting Abuse or Security Concerns
Report a suspected violation, security issue, or abuse concern through https://qnsnow.com/contact or by calling 619-880-8709. If the issue concerns an independent Provider Service, QNS may direct or forward the report to the applicable Provider as reasonably necessary.
10. Changes to This AUP
QNS may update this AUP to address changes in law, security practices, technology, carrier requirements, or Provider conditions. The current version number and publish/effective date will be posted with the AUP. When this AUP is incorporated into an active direct QNS contract, material QNS-initiated updates are subject to the notice and 30-day opt-out process stated in the QNS Terms & Conditions unless the signed Agreement states otherwise. Provider-specific rules may change under the applicable Provider agreement, and mandatory legal, security, carrier, or Provider conditions may apply as permitted by the governing agreement and law.
Contact QNS. Questions about this AUP, acceptable use, abuse, or security concerns may be submitted through qnsnow.com/contact; 619-880-8709; or QNS, Incorporated, 1420 Kettner Blvd, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92101.