Acceptable Use Policy

Acceptable Use Policy

Last updated: August 2026

This Acceptable Use Policy (“AUP”) sets out how you may and may not use the services supplied by Interconnect Networks Pty Ltd (ACN 659 014 767, ABN 35 659 014 767), trading as WebShield (“WebShield”, “we”, “us”, “our”). It applies to all internet, content filtering, VoIP phone, web hosting and related services (“Services”), and forms part of our Terms of Service.

The purpose of this AUP is to keep our Services safe, reliable and lawful for everyone. By using a Service, you agree to comply with this policy, and to ensure that anyone who uses the Service through your account does the same.

Your responsibilities

  • Use the Services in accordance with this AUP, our Terms of Service and all applicable laws.
  • Keep your account details, passwords and equipment secure, and take reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised use of your Service.
  • Be responsible for all activity carried out through your account, including by other people you allow to use it.

Prohibited uses

You must not use the Services to:

  • break any law, or help anyone else break any law;
  • access, store, transmit or distribute content that is illegal, including child sexual abuse material, content that incites violence or terrorism, or other content prohibited under Australian law;
  • infringe the intellectual property rights of others, including by unlawfully copying or sharing copyrighted material;
  • send, relay or facilitate spam or other unsolicited bulk or commercial electronic messages, in breach of the Spam Act 2003 (Cth) or otherwise;
  • harass, threaten, defame, stalk, or abuse any person, or engage in conduct that is menacing or offensive;
  • impersonate any person or organisation, or misrepresent your identity or affiliation, including by falsifying network or message headers;
  • attempt to gain unauthorised access to any computer, network, account or data, or probe, scan or test the vulnerability of any system without authorisation;
  • distribute viruses, malware, ransomware or other harmful code;
  • carry out phishing, fraud, identity theft or other deceptive activity;
  • fraudulently access or use the Services, or use them without intending to pay for them.

Network integrity and fair use

You must not use the Services in a way that damages, disrupts, overloads or impairs our network, systems or other customers’ use of their services. This includes:

  • denial-of-service or similar attacks, flooding, or generating excessive or abnormal traffic;
  • running services or equipment that interfere with the network or breach the technical specifications of your plan;
  • reselling or on-supplying the Service unless your plan expressly permits it; and
  • circumventing, or attempting to circumvent, any usage limit, restriction or security control we apply.

Where a plan is described as unlimited or subject to a fair use policy, you must use it reasonably and consistently with the way an ordinary customer would use it. We may apply traffic management or shaping to protect network performance, as described in your plan.

Content filtering

Our content filtering is designed to reduce access to certain categories of online content and can be a helpful tool for households and organisations. It is not a complete substitute for supervision, and we do not represent that it will block all unwanted content or that it cannot be circumvented. You remain responsible for how the Service is used within your household or organisation.

Hosting and email

If you use our web hosting or email services, you must not host or send material that breaches this AUP, and you must not use excessive server resources in a way that affects other customers. You are responsible for the content you publish and for keeping your own backups where appropriate.

Reporting misuse

If you become aware of any activity that breaches this AUP — for example, spam, abuse, security incidents or illegal content involving our Services — please report it to us at support@webshield.net.au or on 1300 309 121.

Consequences of breach

If you breach this AUP, we may take action that is reasonable and proportionate to the breach, including:

  • contacting you to ask you to stop the activity;
  • restricting, suspending or terminating your Service in accordance with our Terms of Service;
  • removing or blocking offending content; and
  • reporting the matter to law enforcement or other authorities where required or appropriate.

Where practicable and appropriate, we will give you notice and a chance to fix the issue first. However, in serious cases — such as illegal content, a security threat, or a risk to our network or other customers — we may act immediately.

Changes to this policy

We may update this AUP from time to time. The current version will always be available on our website, and the “last updated” date at the top of this page shows when it was last revised.

Contact us

WebShield (operated by Interconnect Networks Pty Ltd, ACN 659 014 767, ABN 35 659 014 767)
Phone: 1300 309 121
Email: support@webshield.net.au
Business hours: Monday to Thursday 9:15am – 5:30pm; Friday 9:30am – 5:00pm