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Abuse Policy

DiaMatrix is an ICANN accredited Registrar. Should you wish to alert us of a violation of our Terms & Conditions, or report any abuse involving a Domain Name registered through our services (or via one of our resellers), please lodge the report as per the steps below.

Illegal content that must be reported includes, but is not limited to, Child Pornography, Child Trafficking, Child-oriented Services (e.g. Grooming), Child Sex Tourism and other sexual offences, etc.

DNS Abuse includes phishing, malware, botnets, pharming, or spam used to deliver these.

Lodging Reports

An ABUSE REPORT email must contain the following information:

  • The Domain Name or URL where the abuse was found
    NOTE: This must be clearly displayed at the beginning of the email;
  • Description of the abuse detected;
  • Supporting evidence (such as URLs, screenshots, logs, or emails);
  • IP address on the Domains.co.za network, if available;
  • the date and time the activity was observed
  • your contact details

Incomplete reports may delay or prevent investigation.

  • The email address to report abuse is: abuse@domains.co.za and,
  • our 24/7 emergency number is: +27 11 640-9714.

What happens after you report:

  • We will acknowledge receipt of your report when we receive it.
  • We will review and assess the information provided.
  • We may request additional details if needed.
  • We will review your report within 24 hours.

If you have additional information about a report you have already submitted, please reply to your acknowledgement email so we can update our review.

Not all reports result in action. We assess each report independently to determine whether there is sufficient, credible evidence of illegal content or DNS abuse.

How we assess reports of DNS Abuse

In assessing reports of DNS Abuse we:

  • focus on DNS abuse as defined by ICANN;
  • evaluate whether the report contains reliable and actionable evidence;
  • consider the nature and severity of the activity.

We do not generally act on:

  • content disputes or legal disagreements unrelated to DNS abuse; or
  • complaints without sufficient supporting information.

Action we may take

Where we identify DNS abuse based on actionable evidence, we will take appropriate and proportionate steps to disrupt the activity. Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

  • suspending or locking a domain
  • modifying DNS settings
  • contacting the registrant
  • taking no action where evidence is insufficient or the issue falls outside our control

Responsibility for addressing DNS abuse may vary depending on the circumstances. In some cases, another party (such as a hosting provider or platform operator) may be better placed to act.

In the case of illegal content we will contact and co-operate with the appropriate enforcement authority.

We aim to act promptly, taking into account the nature and urgency of the reported activity.

Law enforcement and urgent matters

Reports from law enforcement or matters involving clear and immediate harm are prioritised and reviewed on an expedited basis.

Record-keeping

We maintain records of abuse reports and our responses for compliance and audit purposes.

ISPA Membership and Takedown Procedure

DiaMatrix is a member of the Internet Service Providers’ Association and must abide by its Code of Conduct, which is available here.

As an industry body recognised under the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (Act 25 of 2002), ISPA handles takedown notices for content found on the DiaMatrix network. Please see ISPA’s takedown resources here.

DiaMatrix cannot assist in any content that is posted on a social media platform e.g. Twitter, Facebook, etc.; please liaise directly with the provider. Likewise, DiaMatrix is unable to request removal of any content that is found on search engines that are not hosted on the Domains.co.za platform.

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