Acceptable Use Policy | Line

1. Introduction

This Acceptable Use Policy ("Policy") sets out the rules and restrictions that apply to your use of the Line cloud-based business phone system, including all messaging, voice, and related features (the "Service"). This Policy forms part of our Terms of Service and should be read alongside our SMS & Messaging Policy and Privacy Policy.

You are responsible for ensuring that all use of the Service under your account — including by your team members, employees, contractors, and any third parties you grant access to — complies with this Policy. Violations may result in suspension or termination of your account, as described in Section 10.

2. General Conduct

You agree to use the Service only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You must not use the Service in any way that:

Violates any applicable law, regulation, or governmental order in any jurisdiction, including but not limited to the laws of England and Wales, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and any jurisdiction in which your recipients are located
Infringes the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or any other rights of any third party
Is fraudulent, deceptive, misleading, or dishonest
Is harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, obscene, hateful, discriminatory, or otherwise objectionable
Exploits, harms, or endangers any person, particularly children or vulnerable individuals
Promotes or facilitates violence, terrorism, or criminal activity
Breaches any duty of confidentiality owed to any person or organisation

3. Prohibited Content

You must not use the Service to create, store, transmit, or distribute any of the following content, whether by SMS, MMS, voice, voicemail, or any other feature of the Service:

3.1 Illegal and Harmful Content

Content that is illegal in the recipient's jurisdiction, the United Kingdom, or any other applicable jurisdiction
Content that promotes, incites, or provides instructions for illegal activity
Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or any content that exploits or endangers children
Content promoting terrorism, violent extremism, or radicalisation
Hate speech — content that promotes hatred, discrimination, or violence against individuals or groups based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic
Threats of violence, intimidation, harassment, stalking, or bullying

3.2 Fraudulent and Deceptive Content

Phishing, smishing, vishing, or social engineering — messages designed to trick recipients into revealing personal information, financial details, or credentials
Impersonation of any person, business, government body, or public authority
Spoofing or falsifying sender information, caller ID, or message origin
Scams, fraudulent schemes, or deceptive offers
Misinformation that could cause public harm (e.g. false health information, election misinformation)

3.3 Malicious Content

Malware, viruses, trojans, ransomware, spyware, or any other malicious code
Links to websites hosting malicious software or phishing pages
Content designed to exploit security vulnerabilities in recipients' devices or software

3.4 Restricted Industry Content

The following content categories are prohibited or restricted due to regulatory requirements and the policies of our telecommunications providers. For detailed messaging-specific restrictions, see our SMS & Messaging Policy.

Cannabis and controlled substances — marketing or sale of cannabis products is prohibited. CBD-related content is permissible in the UK subject to applicable advertising regulations. Marketing of any illegal or controlled substance, kratom, or drug paraphernalia is prohibited.
Prescription medications — promotion, offer, or sale of prescription drugs not available over the counter
High-risk financial services — payday loans, short-term high-interest lending, cryptocurrency promotions, unregistered investment schemes, "get rich quick" schemes, pyramid schemes, multi-level marketing, affiliate lending, and deceptive financial promotions
Gambling and betting — promotion of gambling services, casino websites, or betting platforms without appropriate licensing and age verification
Adult and sexual content — sexually explicit content, adult services, or escort services
Weapons and explosives — promotion or sale of firearms, ammunition, explosives, or fireworks without appropriate licensing
Tobacco and vaping — promotion or sale of tobacco, nicotine, or vaping products in violation of applicable advertising restrictions
Alcohol — promotion or sale of alcohol without appropriate age verification and licensing
Third-party debt collection — third-party debt collection, debt consolidation, debt reduction, or credit repair services
Third-party lead generation — buying, selling, or sharing consumer information, affiliate marketing using purchased data, or deceptive lead generation practices

4. Prohibited Messaging Activities

The following messaging activities are prohibited. For comprehensive messaging rules, see our SMS & Messaging Policy.

Spam — sending unsolicited bulk messages, marketing messages without prior consent, or any messages in violation of the UK PECR, GDPR, TCPA, or other anti-spam legislation
Ignoring opt-outs — continuing to message recipients who have opted out (replied STOP or equivalent) or who are registered on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) or Corporate TPS
Snowshoeing — spreading similar or identical messages across multiple phone numbers to evade detection or carrier filtering
Filter evasion — intentionally misspelling words, using non-standard opt-out phrases, or employing any technique to circumvent carrier or platform content filters
Simulated attacks — sending simulated phishing, smishing, or social engineering test messages through the Service
Consent fraud — fabricating or falsifying consent records, purchasing phone number lists, or claiming consent that was not freely given

5. Prohibited Voice and Calling Activities

The following voice and calling activities are prohibited:

Robocalling — using automated dialling systems, auto-diallers, predictive diallers, or bots to place calls through the Service
Prerecorded messages — playing prerecorded or artificial voice messages ("voicemail drops") without proper consent and in compliance with applicable law, including Ofcom regulations and the TCPA
Caller ID spoofing — manipulating or falsifying caller ID information to misrepresent your identity, deceive recipients, or evade call blocking. This is a criminal offence under UK and EU law in certain circumstances.
Traffic pumping — schemes to artificially inflate call volumes to high-cost, premium-rate, or revenue-sharing numbers
Harassment by phone — repeatedly calling recipients who have asked you to stop, making threats or abusive calls, or calling during prohibited or unreasonable hours
Abnormal call patterns — excessive short-duration calls, abnormal spikes in call attempts, or systematically calling large numbers of unique or sequential phone numbers inconsistent with normal business use
Conference line abuse — routinely calling conference lines, chat lines, or similar services for non-business purposes
Do Not Call violations — calling recipients who are registered on the TPS, CTPS, or equivalent do-not-call registries without specific prior consent

6. Service Integrity and Security

You must not take any action that compromises the integrity, performance, security, or availability of the Service. Specifically, you must not:

Attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Service, other users' accounts, or any related systems, networks, or databases
Reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise attempt to derive the source code, algorithms, or underlying structure of the Service
Copy, modify, adapt, or create derivative works based on the Service or any part thereof
Bypass, disable, or circumvent any security features, access controls, rate limits, or usage restrictions of the Service
Exploit any security vulnerabilities in the Service, and you must report any vulnerabilities you discover to us immediately at hello@useline.io
Conduct denial-of-service attacks, flood, or otherwise overload the Service or its infrastructure
Transmit viruses, malware, worms, or any other malicious or harmful code through the Service
Use automated bots, scripts, scrapers, crawlers, or similar tools to access the Service except through our published APIs in accordance with their documentation
Interfere with or disrupt the Service or any third-party networks, servers, or services connected to the Service
Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Service or any connected system or network without our prior written authorisation

7. Account Abuse

The following account-related activities are prohibited:

Creating multiple accounts to circumvent usage limits, enforcement actions, free trial restrictions, or any other limitation of the Service
Sharing account credentials with unauthorised individuals or allowing others to use your account in violation of these Terms
Providing false, inaccurate, or misleading information during registration, identity verification, or business verification
Using the Service under a false identity or on behalf of an undisclosed third party
Reselling, redistributing, sublicensing, or commercially exploiting the Service or any part thereof without our prior written consent
Using the Service to build a competing product or service, or for competitive benchmarking, analysis, or intelligence gathering
Accessing the Service for purposes of monitoring availability, performance, or functionality for competitive purposes

8. Fair Use

8.1 General Fair Use

The Service is designed for normal business communication use. Subscription plans that include messaging or calling allowances are subject to fair and reasonable use. We reserve the right to take action if your usage patterns are inconsistent with normal business communications, including but not limited to:

Messaging or call volumes that significantly exceed the average for your plan tier
Patterns indicative of automated, bulk, or non-human use
Use of the Service as a call centre, telemarketing platform, or bulk messaging service beyond what your plan supports

8.2 Voice Fair Use

Voice call minutes included in your plan are for standard person-to-person business calls. Fair use does not include:

Operating the Service as a telephone exchange, call centre, or PBX/key system
Connecting to numbers that handle simultaneous connections or conference bridges for extended periods
Telemarketing or cold calling campaigns at high volume
Call forwarding configurations that result in excessive usage beyond normal business patterns

8.3 Messaging Fair Use

SMS/MMS message segments included in your plan are for standard business communications. Fair use does not include:

Bulk messaging campaigns, automated marketing sequences, or SMS blasts beyond your plan's intended use
Automated messages sent by bots, workflows, or integrations at volumes inconsistent with your plan tier
Using the Service as a high-volume messaging gateway or API relay

8.4 Consequences of Exceeding Fair Use

If your usage exceeds fair use limits, we may (after providing reasonable notice where practicable):

Contact you to discuss your usage and recommend a more appropriate plan
Apply overage charges at our standard published rates
Throttle or temporarily limit your messaging or calling capabilities
Require you to upgrade to a higher-tier plan
Suspend or terminate your account if excessive usage continues after notice

8.5 Free Trial Fair Use

Free trials are limited to one per organisation and are intended for genuine evaluation of the Service. The following activities during a free trial constitute abuse:

Creating multiple accounts or using different email addresses to obtain multiple free trials
Using the trial for production workloads or commercial messaging at scale
Registering for a trial without a genuine intention to evaluate the Service
Attempting to extract data, reverse engineer features, or benchmark the Service for competitive purposes during a trial

9. Reporting Violations

If you become aware of any use of the Service that violates this Policy, please report it to us immediately at hello@useline.io. You may also report receiving unwanted messages or calls from a Line number to the same address. We will investigate all reports promptly and take appropriate action.

If you discover a security vulnerability in the Service, please report it responsibly to hello@useline.io. Do not exploit, publicise, or share the vulnerability with others before we have had a reasonable opportunity to address it.

10. Enforcement

10.1 Investigation

We reserve the right to investigate any suspected violation of this Policy. During an investigation, we may: (a) review your account activity, messaging patterns, and content; (b) request information or documentation from you (including proof of consent for messaging activity); and (c) cooperate with law enforcement, regulatory authorities, or our telecommunications providers.

10.2 Enforcement Actions

If we determine (in our sole discretion) that you have violated this Policy, we may take one or more of the following actions:

Warning — issue a written warning identifying the violation and requiring corrective action within a specified timeframe
Content removal — remove or disable access to any content that violates this Policy
Feature restriction — temporarily or permanently disable specific features (e.g. messaging, voice calling, or integrations)
Account suspension — temporarily suspend your account pending investigation or corrective action
Account termination — permanently terminate your account and all associated services
Phone number release — reclaim and release phone numbers associated with your account
Reporting — report your activity to relevant law enforcement agencies, regulatory authorities (such as the ICO or Ofcom), or our telecommunications providers

10.3 Severity-Based Response

We apply enforcement actions proportionally based on the severity and nature of the violation:

Minor violations (e.g. missing opt-out language, inadvertent fair use overage) — we will typically issue a warning and provide a reasonable opportunity to cure the violation before taking further action
Serious violations (e.g. spam campaigns, consent fraud, prohibited industry content) — we may suspend your account immediately while we investigate, with notice provided as soon as reasonably practicable
Severe violations (e.g. fraud, phishing, illegal content, CSAM, threats of violence) — we may terminate your account immediately without prior notice and report your activity to law enforcement

10.4 Carrier Penalties

Mobile network operators and telecommunications providers may impose fines and penalties for non-compliant use. These penalties are passed through to you in full. See our SMS & Messaging Policy for details on carrier penalty structures.

10.5 No Liability for Enforcement

We shall not be liable to you for any loss or damage arising from enforcement actions taken in good faith under this Policy, including suspension or termination of your account, removal of content, or release of phone numbers. You remain liable for all fees, charges, and penalties incurred before and during any enforcement action.

11. Your Obligations

By using the Service, you acknowledge and agree that:

You are solely responsible for all activity conducted through your account, including the actions of your team members, employees, and contractors
You will ensure that all users with access to your account are aware of and comply with this Policy
You will cooperate promptly with any compliance investigation and provide requested information or documentation within 5 business days
You will immediately report any violation of this Policy that you become aware of, including violations by your own team members
You will indemnify Line against any claims, fines, penalties, or losses arising from your violation of this Policy, as set out in our Terms of Service

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, regulation, carrier requirements, or our business practices. We will notify you of material changes by email or through the Service at least 30 days before they take effect. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Policy, need to report a violation, or want to discuss whether a specific use case is permitted, please contact us:

Email: hello@useline.io
Website: https://useline.io