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Acceptable Use Policy

Effective date: 1 April 2025 · Last updated: 1 April 2025

1. Purpose

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") defines what you may and may not do when using the Sema Link platform. It supplements our Terms of Service. Violation of this AUP may result in immediate account suspension without refund.

Sema Link is designed to help East African businesses communicate reliably and responsibly with their customers. We take the integrity of the messaging ecosystem seriously and have a zero-tolerance policy for abuse.

2. Prohibited Content & Uses

You must not use Sema Link to send, facilitate, or enable:

2.1 Spam & Unsolicited Messages

  • Messages sent to recipients who have not explicitly opted in to receive communications from you.
  • Bulk messages to purchased, scraped, or rented contact lists.
  • Messages disguised as personal communications to bypass filtering.

2.2 Fraud & Deception

  • Phishing messages impersonating banks, government agencies, or other organisations.
  • Messages containing false or misleading information intended to deceive recipients.
  • Advance-fee fraud (419 scams) or any variation thereof.
  • Messages that misrepresent the sender identity.

2.3 Illegal Content

  • Content that violates applicable laws in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, or the recipient's jurisdiction.
  • Content promoting illegal drugs, weapons, counterfeit goods, or unlicensed financial services.
  • Content that infringes copyright, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights.
  • Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) — we will report such content to law enforcement immediately.

2.4 Harassment & Harm

  • Threatening, abusive, or harassing messages targeting individuals or groups.
  • Content inciting violence, hatred, or discrimination based on protected characteristics.
  • Messages designed to cause psychological distress.

2.5 Platform Abuse

  • Attempting to circumvent rate limits, filters, or security controls.
  • Using the platform to test or probe MNO infrastructure.
  • Reselling API access without a written reseller agreement with Sema Link.
  • Automating account creation to evade sanctions or limits.

4. Sender ID Rules

  • Sender IDs must accurately represent your registered business name or brand.
  • You must not use a Sender ID that mimics a bank, government body, mobile network, or competitor.
  • Numeric Sender IDs must be phone numbers registered to your organisation.
  • Sender IDs require prior registration and approval. Unregistered IDs used to bypass carrier filtering are prohibited.

5. Volume & Throttling

By default, accounts are subject to per-second and per-day sending limits appropriate to their plan tier. If your campaign requires burst capacity beyond your plan limits, contact us at least 48 hours in advance to request a temporary limit increase.

We may throttle or queue messages automatically during periods of high network load to protect delivery quality for all customers.

6. Enforcement

We actively monitor for AUP violations through automated filtering, carrier feedback loops, and manual review. When a violation is identified we may:

  • Issue a warning and require corrective action.
  • Immediately suspend message sending without notice.
  • Terminate your account and retain unused credits.
  • Report violations to relevant authorities including the Communications Authority of Kenya, TCRA (Tanzania), or UCC (Uganda).

We cooperate fully with law enforcement investigations.

7. Reporting Abuse

If you receive an unsolicited or abusive message sent via Sema Link, or suspect our platform is being misused, please report it to abuse@semalink.africa with the message content, sender details, and the date and time received. We investigate all credible reports.

8. Contact

Sema Link Limited — Trust & Safety
Email: abuse@semalink.africa
Nairobi, Kenya