{"id":16717,"date":"2017-05-24T08:40:30","date_gmt":"2017-05-24T13:40:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/?p=16717"},"modified":"2017-05-24T08:40:30","modified_gmt":"2017-05-24T13:40:30","slug":"illegal-things-internet-website-rules-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/illegal-things-internet-website-rules-laws\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Do That on the Internet? Website Rules and Laws to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16831\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/WebsiteRules.png\" alt=\"Website Rules\" width=\"1199\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/WebsiteRules.png 1199w, https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/WebsiteRules-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/WebsiteRules-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/WebsiteRules-1024x536.png 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1199px) 100vw, 1199px\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2>Illegal Things You Can&#8217;t Do On The Internet<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you&#8217;re setting up a website, especially the first time, your focus is probably on choosing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/\">good hosting service<\/a>, picking the right site template, and creating your content. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But online as in real life, there are legal considerations you need to keep in mind. To help you stay on the good side of your web host, ISP, and the courts, here are some basics about what&#8217;s legal, what&#8217;s clearly not, and what&#8217;s sketchy. As always, if you have specific questions you should consult with an attorney who specializes in online law.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/managed-wordpress-hosting\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12309\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/WordPress-Hosting-2.gif\" alt=\"Recommended WordPress Hosting\" width=\"468\" height=\"60\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>If it&#8217;s illegal offline, it&#8217;s illegal online<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For most of us, this goes without saying. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But, there are some\u00a0people who get into legal trouble by treating the internet as fundamentally different from the rest of life. For example, Mike and Heather Martin of Maryland had a popular YouTube channel, DaddyOFive, that was described as family pranks but included videos of them\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/time.com\/4763981\/daddyofive-mike-martin-heather-martin-youtube-prank-custody\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">screaming at and pushing their children<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. After other YouTubers complained, the couple lost custody of two of their five children. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other clearly illegal content includes anything that <strong>libels another person<\/strong> and <strong>threats of violence<\/strong>. Most site owners have no intention of creating that kind of content. But sites with forums and comments sections have to stay vigilant to keep that type of content out of discussion threads to avoid violating libel laws as well as their web host and ISP&#8217;s terms of service.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Streaming videos and songs?<\/strong> Illegal if they&#8217;re <strong>pirated<\/strong>, with some <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/web\/six-strikes-and-youre-screwed-what-the-upcoming-piracy-crackdown-means-for-you\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hefty penalties<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ranging from ISP throttling and account closure to lawsuits by copyright holders. Even if the content is all yours, your web hosting service may not permit commercial video and audio streaming via their servers. Check your host&#8217;s terms of service and acceptable use policy (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/tos\">here&#8217;s a link to HostGator&#8217;s<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Other people&#8217;s words and pictures?<\/strong> Without their permission, it&#8217;s a copyright violation to use them on a website. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lib.purdue.edu\/uco\/CopyrightBasics\/penalties.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Site owners found guilty of copyright violations<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can face fines up to $150,000 plus court costs. Jail time is also a possibility. On top of those consequences, Google penalizes sites that include <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">content that&#8217;s '<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/webmasters\/answer\/66359?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">deliberately duplicated across domains<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,'\u009d which it describes as a deceptive practice. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Fraud<\/strong>, of course, is just as illegal online as off. Counterfeit goods, stores that steal payment data and don&#8217;t ship merchandise, and impersonating others in order to trick customers into buying from a site are all on the no-go list. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One category of impersonation that is legal is <strong>parody impersonation<\/strong>. Historically, <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.firstamendmentcenter.org\/parody-satire\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">parody and its close cousin satire are protected<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the US by the First Amendment. This is why you can find things like the gloriously Photoshopped Instagram account of '<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kirbyjenner\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kirby Jenner, fraternal twin of Kendall Jenne<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">r'\u009d as well as countless openly fake Twitter accounts satirizing politicians, business leaders, and celebrities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-16718\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Screen-Shot-2017-05-08-at-3.24.50-PM.png\" alt=\"Is impersonation legal on the internet\" width=\"550\" height=\"297\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Screen-Shot-2017-05-08-at-3.24.50-PM.png 958w, https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Screen-Shot-2017-05-08-at-3.24.50-PM-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Screen-Shot-2017-05-08-at-3.24.50-PM-768x414.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And finally, yes, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>spam emails<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebalance.com\/fines-and-penalties-for-spam-email-3515353\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> illegal<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and they have been since the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 became law. Violations can carry an $11,000 fine. Web hosts, ISPs, and email management services are usually quick to shut down spam sites and accounts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Other questionable content<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There&#8217;s another category of fakery that&#8217;s in the news a lot lately   <strong>fake news<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although it may not be strictly illegal in the US (unless it&#8217;s also libelous), it undermines public discourse and has been implicated in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/11\/18\/technology\/fake-news-on-facebook-in-foreign-elections-thats-not-new.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">election interference in the US and other countries<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. But site owners who hope to cash in by selling ads on fake news the way <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/fake-news-how-partying-macedonian-teen-earns-thousands-publishing-lies-n692451\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">teenagers in Macedonia <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">did before the 2016 election will be disappointed: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/facebook-and-google-step-up-efforts-to-combat-fake-news-1486396476\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google and Facebook have both cracked down<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on fake news sites and ads in their networks. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two other types of content that can get sites booted by their web host or ISP and possibly investigated by law enforcement are <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/criminal-ceos\/citizens-guide-us-federal-law-obscenity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">adult content<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.igamingbusiness.com\/news\/us-attorney-general-push-online-gaming-ban-reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">gambling<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Both industries are heavily regulated, and violating state and federal obscenity or child-pornography laws can result in prosecution and prison time. Although some states opened up online gaming rules in recent years after federal law changes, the new presidential administration may<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.igamingbusiness.com\/news\/us-attorney-general-push-online-gaming-ban-reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> reinstate a federal-level online gaming ban<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Where to find more legal information<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be sure to read your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/tos\/acceptable-use-policy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">web host&#8217;s terms of service and acceptable use policy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> before you start adding content to your site. A typical acceptable use policy will require that your site activities be legal, not defame other people, and not be a platform for spam. In addition, your web host may prohibit commercial audio streaming, banking and trading activities, gambling, bitcoin mining, live video streaming, and other activities that fall into legal gray areas, require huge amounts of bandwidth, or both. Most web hosts reserve the right to shut down sites they deem 'obscene, threatening, illegal'\u009d or in violation of their rules with no notice, so it&#8217;s important to understand those rules and boundaries up front.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more general information, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sba.gov\/starting-business\/learn-about-business-laws\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Small Business Administration business law<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> hub has articles on privacy, online business, marketing and advertising, and other areas of the law that may affect your site and your business. If you have questions that aren&#8217;t answered there, it&#8217;s a good idea to consult with an attorney who specializes in the type of business you plan to run online. This will cost you some money up front but could save you time, money and hassles once your site is up and running.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In general, if you run your site in an ethical way, you should be on the right side of the law. Still, read the fine print so you can get your site off to a legally sound start.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Illegal Things You Can&#8217;t Do On The Internet When you&#8217;re setting up a website, especially the first time, your focus&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":162,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-web-and-hosting-tips"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.2 (Yoast SEO v23.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Can You Do That on the Internet? Website Rules and Laws to Know - HostGator<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ever wonder what you can get away with online? 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