Acceptable Use Policy

Last updated: 29 October 2026

1. About this policy

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") sets out what you may and may not do when using Orbis SMS, the business SMS service provided by Orbis Digital Ltd ("we", "us", "our").

It applies to every account, every user of an account, and every message sent through the Orbis SMS portal or through an API key created in it. It forms part of our Terms of Service. If you break this AUP, you are in breach of the Terms. Words given a meaning in the Terms have the same meaning here.

This AUP should be read together with our Anti-Spam Policy, our Due Diligence Policy and our Data Processing Agreement.

Orbis SMS is for business use only. It is not offered to consumers. You are responsible for making sure everyone who uses your account follows this AUP.

2. Lawful use

You must use Orbis SMS only for lawful business purposes. You must comply with all laws, regulations and codes that apply to you and to your messages. In particular, these include:

• the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR), which control marketing by text message;
• the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025;
• the Fraud Act 2006 and the Computer Misuse Act 1990;
• the Communications Act 2003 and the Malicious Communications Act 1988, which make it an offence to send certain offensive, threatening or false messages;
• the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and the rules of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA);
• the Gambling Act 2005 and the rules of the Gambling Commission;
• consumer protection law, including the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, which prohibits misleading and aggressive commercial practices; and
• advertising rules, including the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (the CAP Code).

You must have consent or another lawful basis for every recipient you message. Our Anti-Spam Policy explains the consent rules for marketing texts.

3. Prohibited content

You must not send, or try to send, any message that is, contains, links to or promotes any of the following.

• Fraud, scams and phishing. Any message designed to deceive people into handing over money, personal details, passwords, card details or one-time passcodes. This includes messages that impersonate or appear to come from a bank or payment provider, HMRC, a delivery or parcel firm, the NHS, the DVLA, a government department, a local council, the police, a utility, a mobile network or any other organisation you do not represent. It also includes fake verification codes, fake refunds and fake account alerts.
• Malware and harmful links. Links to malware, spyware or other harmful software, or to websites designed to collect credentials or payment details by deception. You must not use link shorteners or redirects to hide where a link goes.
• Illegal goods and services. Anything that is illegal to sell, supply or promote in the UK, including controlled drugs, prescription-only medicines without proper authorisation, weapons, counterfeit goods, stolen goods, and products banned from sale such as single-use vapes.
• Adult and sexual content. Sexually explicit material, escort or sexual services, or anything that sexualises children. Any material involving child sexual abuse will be reported to the police immediately.
• Gambling, unless you hold the correct licence from the Gambling Commission, have our prior approval, and your messages follow the Gambling Commission's rules and the advertising codes, including the rules on consent to direct marketing and on not targeting under-18s or people who have self-excluded.
• High-risk financial promotions. Under section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, only an FCA-authorised firm may communicate a financial promotion, unless it has been approved by an authorised firm with permission to approve it or an exemption applies. You must not promote investments, cryptoassets, credit, loans or other financial products in breach of this rule or the FCA's rules. Promotions of "get rich quick" schemes, unregulated investments and similar high-risk offers are prohibited.
• Debt and claims-management cold texting. Unsolicited texts promoting debt management, debt solutions, IVAs, claims management or "no win, no fee" claims to people who have not given specific consent to hear from you.
• Hate, harassment and threats. Content that is abusive, threatening, menacing, grossly offensive, indecent or obscene, or that harasses, bullies or intimidates anyone. Content that stirs up hatred or discriminates against people because of a protected characteristic. Content that encourages violence, terrorism, self-harm or suicide.
• Misleading claims. False or misleading statements about prices, offers, prizes, deadlines, health benefits or anything else. Messages that falsely say a recipient has won something or owes money.
• Age-restricted products to minors. Promoting alcohol, tobacco, vapes or other nicotine products to people under 18, or promoting their sale without any licence you need.
• Infringing content. Content that infringes anyone's copyright, trade marks or other intellectual property, or that is defamatory or breaches confidence or privacy.
• Sensitive data. Special category data (such as health, medical, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, biometric or genetic information) or criminal offence data about a recipient, and financial details such as full card or bank account numbers or passwords. Text messages can be read by anyone with access to the handset. Keep message bodies short and general, for example "You have a new message in your account" rather than test results or diagnoses.

This list is not complete. We may treat any message that is unlawful, harmful or likely to damage trust in SMS as prohibited.

4. Restricted sectors

Some sectors carry a higher risk of harm, regulatory breach or network blocking. You must get our written approval before sending messages relating to them. We may ask for evidence such as a licence, an FCA Register entry, or examples of your consent wording. The restricted sectors are:

• financial services, including credit, loans, insurance, investments, cryptoassets and debt collection;
• gambling, betting, lotteries and prize promotions;
• alcohol, tobacco, vapes and other nicotine products;
• healthcare, pharmacy, medicines, supplements and cosmetic procedures;
• debt advice, debt solutions and claims management;
• political campaigning; and
• any other sector we tell you is restricted.

Approval for one sector or campaign does not cover another. We may withdraw approval if your messages no longer meet the conditions we set. Our Due Diligence Policy explains the checks we carry out.

5. Sender IDs

An alphanumeric sender ID is the name that appears as the sender of your message. Every sender ID must be requested in the portal and approved by us before use. You must follow these rules:

• You may only use your own business name, trading name or brand, or a name you have written permission to use. We may ask you to prove this.
• You must not impersonate any other person, business, brand, charity or public body, or use a name that could be confused with one.
• Many trusted organisations protect their names through the MEF SMS SenderID Protection Registry. Messages using a protected name are blocked by participating networks and aggregators unless the sender is authorised by the name's owner. We will not approve a protected name without that authority.
• You must not use misleading or generic names that do not identify you, such as "INFO", "ALERT", "BANK", "SECURITY", "DELIVERY", "NHS" or "HMRC".
• A sender ID can be no more than 11 characters long and must contain at least one letter.

We may refuse, suspend or withdraw a sender ID at any time if we believe it is misleading, is being misused, or if a network, aggregator, registry or brand owner objects to it.

6. Technical misuse

You must not:

• try to get around sending limits, approval, content screening or opt-out handling, for example by splitting messages, altering spellings, using several accounts, or disguising links;
• open more than one account to avoid limits, suspension or a refusal;
• do anything that would be an offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990, including trying to access any account, system or data without permission, probing or scanning our systems for weaknesses, or introducing malicious code;
• overload, disrupt or interfere with Orbis SMS, our hosting, or the networks we use; or
• resell, sublicense or provide access to Orbis SMS to anyone else, or send messages on behalf of other businesses, unless we have agreed this with you in writing.

You must keep your login details and API keys secure and confidential. Do not share them, publish them in code repositories or put them in websites or apps where others can read them. Give API keys only to the systems that need them, and delete any key you think may have been exposed. You are responsible for all messages sent using your credentials. Tell us straight away if you suspect unauthorised use of your account.

7. Message quality

Every message must make clear who it is from. Use your approved sender ID and, where it would not otherwise be obvious, name your business in the message.

Every marketing message must include a simple, free way to opt out, for example "Reply STOP to opt out". You must honour every opt-out. Our Anti-Spam Policy explains how opt-outs work on Orbis SMS.

Send messages at sensible times. This is good practice rather than a legal requirement, but texts at unsociable hours cause complaints and can lead to blocking. As a guide:

• avoid sending marketing messages between 21:00 and 08:00, and take care on Sundays and public holidays;
• use scheduling to send at a suitable local time; and
• keep messages outside these hours for things the recipient expects or needs promptly, such as one-time passcodes, appointment changes or urgent service updates.

Keep messages relevant to what the recipient signed up for, and do not send them more often than they would reasonably expect.

8. Monitoring and enforcement

To prevent fraud and protect recipients and networks, we check how Orbis SMS is used.

• Screening. Message content is automatically screened against risk rules, such as keywords and patterns linked to spam, scams and phishing.
• Holds and blocks. A flagged message may be held for review by a member of our team, or blocked. Credits for messages we reject before sending are returned to your account.
• Investigation. We may review your messages, contact lists, consent records and account activity, and ask you for information. You must respond promptly and honestly.
• Suspension. We may suspend sending, or your whole account, immediately and without notice where we reasonably suspect spam, fraud, unlawful content, a security risk or non-payment, or where a network or regulator tells us to. We may also restrict sender IDs, lower your sending limits or close your account in line with the Terms.
• Reporting. We may report suspected unlawful activity, and share relevant information, with the police, the ICO (or its successor, the Information Commission), the FCA, the Gambling Commission, other regulators, and the UK messaging network providers and SMS aggregators we use.
• Cost recovery. If your breach of this AUP causes us loss, including fines, penalties, charges or costs imposed by networks, aggregators or regulators, you must pay those costs as set out in the Terms.

Checking does not make us responsible for your messages. You remain responsible for your content and for complying with the law.

9. Reporting abuse

If you think Orbis SMS is being misused, or you have received a message sent through it that breaks this AUP, please tell us at support@orbisdigital.co.uk. Include the sender name, the time you received it and the message text if you can.

Anyone in the UK can also report a spam or scam text to their mobile network free of charge by forwarding it to 7726. If a message has led to money being lost, report it to your bank and to the police.

10. Contact

If you have any questions about this AUP, or are unsure whether something you want to send is allowed, contact us before you send. Email support@orbisdigital.co.uk or call 0330 223 7919.