What content is allowed on offshore hosting?
Offshore hosting offers more content flexibility than standard hosting, but it is not without limits. Understand what is permitted, what is prohibited,
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Offshore hosting provides greater content freedom than standard hosting due to being located in jurisdictions with different legal frameworks. However, offshore hosting is not a lawless zone-there are still clear limits based on UnderHost's policies and the laws of the hosting country.
What is allowed
Offshore hosting is well-suited for content that might face restrictions under US or EU law but is legal in the host jurisdiction:
- News sites and journalism publishing sensitive investigations or whistleblower content
- Political or controversial commentary and opinion
- Content critical of governments, corporations, or public figures
- Privacy tools, VPN services, and anonymity-focused software
- Cryptocurrency and fintech services
- Adult content (subject to location and local law-see below)
- Gambling sites (subject to location and licensing requirements)
What is never allowed-regardless of location
The following content is prohibited on all UnderHost services without exception:
- Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) of any kind
- Content that directly facilitates violence, terrorism, or human trafficking
- Malware distribution-hosting files, scripts, or sites designed to infect or defraud users
- Spam infrastructure-bulk email software, phishing pages, or spam relay servers
- DDoS-for-hire services or booters
- Unauthorized access tools explicitly for attacking third-party systems
- Content that violates the laws of the specific country where the server is hosted
Discovery of prohibited content results in immediate service suspension without warning. Content in this category is reported to relevant authorities as required by law.
DMCA and copyright
Offshore locations outside the United States are not subject to the DMCA (US copyright law). DMCA takedown requests from US copyright holders are generally not enforceable against servers in locations like the Netherlands, Caribbean, or Moldova.
However, local copyright laws still apply. For example, Netherlands servers are subject to EU copyright directives. "DMCA-free" specifically means US DMCA notices are not acted on-it does not mean copyright law of the host country is ignored. See Offshore hosting and DMCA for details.
Adult content
Adult content (legal pornography involving consenting adults) is permitted on offshore hosting in locations where it is legal. Verify the specific location's laws before hosting adult content. Age verification requirements may apply depending on local regulations. CSAM is categorically prohibited everywhere-see above.
Gambling and pharmaceuticals
Online gambling sites and pharmaceutical-related content are permitted on offshore hosting in appropriate jurisdictions. Licensing and regulatory requirements vary significantly by country. UnderHost does not provide legal advice-customers are responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable laws in their target markets.
How abuse is handled
UnderHost reviews abuse reports for all services including offshore hosting. Reports are investigated and:
- Prohibited content is removed and accounts suspended
- Valid legal requests from the hosting country's courts may be complied with
- Copyright/DMCA notices from US entities are forwarded to customers but not automatically acted on for offshore servers
To report abuse, use the contact at underhost.com/abuse or open a support ticket.
Questions about content policies?
Open a support ticket to discuss your specific use case or content plans.
