Terms and Conditions of Service

By subscribing to Hydra Usenet, you state that you have fully read, understood, and accepted all terms and conditions listed in this agreement.

Content responsibility and Usenet nature

The content of all discussion groups, including without limitation the descriptions for discussion groups and the content within a specific article, is provided by and is the responsibility of the creator of the discussion group or the person posting an article.

• Hydra Usenet as a conduit: Hydra Usenet has no responsibility for such content and is merely a conduit of articles traveling across Usenet. Usenet in general is a public forum much like the World Wide Web is available to the public.
• No server control: Hydra Usenet does not control Usenet. We have no way to control the content on the servers we provide access to, as Hydra Usenet is not the owner or manager of the servers. We resell capacity on other providers' servers, over which we have no influence or control.
• Volume and moderation: All articles on our servers, except those posted by our own users, are pushed to our servers via our upstream providers, including large international corporations. Hydra Usenet receives well over 1,000,000 articles per day, making it impossible for us—or any other corporation running a Usenet server—to moderate newsgroups.

By its very nature, Usenet groups may carry highly offensive, harmful, inaccurate, or otherwise inappropriate material, or in some cases, postings that have been mislabeled or are otherwise deceptive. We expect that you will use caution, common sense, and proper judgment when using Usenet.

Content policy

Any article that passes through our servers is the sole responsibility of the person who posted the article or created the newsgroup.

• Hydra Usenet does not produce any content that passes through our servers.
• Hydra Usenet does not publish any content that passes through our servers. “Publish” means we do not extract pictures or programs from Usenet for redistribution by various means (e.g., CD-ROMs, slide shows, or zip files for download).
• Hydra Usenet does not condone nor support users posting copyrighted or illegal content to Usenet.

If you discover an article containing copyrighted or illegal content, please use our notice and takedown process or email [email protected]. We will take any possible action to remove the offending article and forward all relevant information to the appropriate law enforcement authorities.

The name of a newsgroup is not illegal in nature and does not necessarily imply inappropriate or illegal activity. However, we encourage customers to exercise caution and discretion when viewing and posting to all Usenet newsgroups. We expect all customers to abide by Usenet etiquette, copyright laws, and civil and criminal laws.

Conditions of use

You may only enter this site and/or use its services if you agree to all of the following terms. If you do not agree to all of the terms, you must exit now.

• Age requirement: You are at least 18 (21 where required) years of age and have the legal right to possess adult material in your community.
• Community standards: You understand the standards and laws of the community, site, and computer to which you are transporting this material. You are solely responsible for your actions. The posting of illegal media is prohibited; violators will be banned from our servers.
• Copyright & responsibility: You will not sell, redistribute, or copy in any way the contents of this site. You will not allow anyone to use your username or password. If you post, you do so at your own risk.
• System security: You will not attempt to bypass any security and/or access features of this site.

Posting ability

Posting ability is a privilege, not a right. Your posting access and/or account may be suspended at any time without notice at the discretion of our abuse department. If you are unable to post and believe your access may have been revoked, you may contact Hydra Usenet with your account information. We will inform you if your posting access has been revoked and why. If you feel this was in error, respond and explain the situation. We will investigate and inform you of our decision via email. The decision of the abuse department is final, and no refunds will be granted due to the inability to post or loss of an account due to abuse.

Forbidden activities

Hydra Usenet has a zero-tolerance policy for the following activities. Performing any of them will cause permanent suspension of your posting ability or loss of your account. If you spam or abuse posting rights, you may be billed for cleanup costs (at management's discretion) at the rate of $200.00 (US) per hour, plus any collections and/or attorney's fees incurred.

• Spamming: Advertising that is not welcome in the group where it was posted.
• Repetitive posting: Posting the same thing repeatedly in one or more newsgroups.
• Commercial/promotional posts: Promoting a business, website, or organization (including “personal”, “public service”, or charitable sites).
• Chain letters/pyramid schemes: Illegal under US law (e.g., “make money fast”, “multilevel marketing”).
• Flooding: Attempting to take over a newsgroup by flooding it with posts.
• Trolling: Repeatedly harassing or annoying other newsgroup users.
• Copyright infringement: Posting non-public domain material you do not own the rights to.
• Posting illegal content: Posting anything illegal in the United States.
• Posting off-topic: Posting content that does not belong in that newsgroup per its charter/FAQ.
• Crossposting: Posting the same article to more than three newsgroups.
• Hate/race-related content: Posting inflammatory content or promoting discrimination/hate.
• Defamatory/harassing posts: Defamatory, libelous, threatening posts, or posting anyone's personal information (phone numbers, SSNs, etc.) without consent.

Accounts, billing, and usage

Acceptable use

Personal accounts may be used for the subscriber's personal use only. Under no circumstances may a subscriber share their account or login information with any third party. Non-personal usage includes excessive continuous downloading of whole newsgroups, 24/7 downloading, or using a personal account to feed a news server or caching server. Any such use is grounds for immediate termination with no refunds.

Hydra Usenet may curtail unreasonable usage of unmetered accounts to ensure the best possible service for all customers. Unmetered accounts do not constitute a dedicated connection. We reserve the right to limit bandwidth for high-usage users or cancel/suspend service without notice if a customer cannot maintain reasonable use.

Download limits & equipment

Canceling and refunds

• Block accounts: Absolutely no refunds will be given after a username and password have been issued.
• Unlimited accounts: You may cancel within 1 day (24 hours) or 2 GB (whichever comes first) from the time your account was created to receive a signup refund.
• Standard cancellation: You may cancel at any time via your chosen payment processor or by emailing [email protected] (no refunds beyond the 1-day/2 GB window). You must cancel within 3 days of your next billing date to avoid being charged for the next month's service.
• Errors: If you were never assigned a username/password due to a Hydra Usenet error, we will refund the charge or compensate you with extra time/upgrades.
• Chargebacks: Forced refunds or chargebacks violate this agreement and will result in your placement in an online fraud database.

Fraud policy

If your credit card or phone number was fraudulently used to gain access, send a copy of the police report to us. We will refund the charge, block the card from future use on Hydra Usenet, and provide the information to police authorities. We take fraud very seriously and will press criminal and civil charges.

Affiliate and partner program

Hydra Usenet may offer an affiliate or referral program (“Affiliate Program”) under which approved partners (“Affiliates”) earn commissions when visitors they refer complete qualifying purchases on hydrause.net. Participation is by invitation only unless we publish a separate application process. These terms apply to Affiliates; visitors who arrive via an affiliate link are still bound by all customer terms above.

How referrals are tracked

Affiliates receive a unique referral link or code (for example, ?ref=PARTNERCODE). When a visitor uses that link, we may store the referral code in a first-party browser cookie (hydra_ref) for up to 30 days so that a later purchase can be attributed to the correct Affiliate. See our Cookie Settings page for details. Attribution is recorded when checkout begins and is confirmed only after payment is verified and the order is fulfilled. Last-click attribution applies unless we state otherwise in writing.

Promoting Hydra Usenet

Approved Affiliates receive a personal referral link and may use provided banners, text links, and suggested ad copy (as made available in the affiliate dashboard). You may place these materials on your website, blog, Facebook, X, or in a forum signature or private board where promotional content is permitted, provided you follow that platform’s rules and disclose your affiliate relationship.

When someone clicks your link or banner, they are redirected to hydrause.net. We track referred activity using a first-party cookie for up to 30 days (see Cookie Settings). You earn commission on qualifying orders attributed to your link within that window — this is not a lifetime commission on the customer.

Commissions and qualifying sales

• When commissions accrue: A commission is recorded when a referred order is paid and successfully fulfilled (registration token issued). Unpaid, cancelled, or failed orders do not qualify.
• 30-day hold: Commissions remain in a holding period for 30 days after the customer’s payment date. During this time they are visible in the affiliate dashboard but do not count toward payout balances. This allows refunds and chargebacks to be applied before commissions are finalized.
• When commissions become payable: After the 30-day hold expires with no refund on that order, the commission becomes payable and counts toward the minimum payout threshold.
• Commission basis: Commissions are calculated on the net amount paid by the customer after discounts and promotions applied at checkout, not on list price.
• Rate — standard orders: Default commission is 20% on net paid for card (Stripe) checkouts and 25% on net paid for crypto (Paymento) checkouts, unless a different rate is shown in your affiliate dashboard.
• Rate — orders with promo codes: When the customer uses any promo code or discount on the order (including Stripe promotion codes or Hydra crypto checkout codes), commission is at a reduced rate — default 10% (card) or 12% (crypto) on net paid, unless otherwise stated in your dashboard.
• Fraud and abuse: We do not pay commissions on self-referrals, fraudulent orders, cookie stuffing, or traffic obtained through spam, illegal activity, or paid search ads that bid on Hydra Usenet trademarks without written approval. We may withhold or reverse commissions and terminate Affiliate accounts at our sole discretion.

Payouts

• Minimum balance: Commissions are paid only when an Affiliate’s approved, unpaid balance reaches at least US $50.00. Balances below that threshold roll forward to the next payout period.
• Schedule: Payouts are processed on a periodic basis (typically monthly) after we review referred orders for refunds and fraud. Payment timing is net of our standard review period (commonly within 30 days after the end of each calendar month in which commissions were earned).
• Methods: We pay commissions by PayPal or USDC on the Solana network only. Each Affiliate must choose one method and provide a valid PayPal account email or Solana wallet address (capable of receiving USDC on Solana) in the affiliate dashboard before receiving a payout. Payouts are not sent until this information is on file.
• Manual payment records: Payouts are processed manually. When a payout is completed, we record a transaction identifier (PayPal transaction ID or Solana transaction signature) associated with that payment. Affiliates can view payout history and transaction IDs in the affiliate dashboard.
• Incorrect details: Hydra Usenet is not responsible for commissions lost due to incorrect PayPal emails or Solana wallet addresses supplied by the Affiliate. Affiliates are responsible for keeping payout details accurate and for using a Solana address that accepts USDC.
• Fees: We are not responsible for fees charged by PayPal, blockchain networks, or other third parties receiving the transfer.
• Taxes: Affiliates are independent contractors, not employees. Each Affiliate is responsible for all taxes on commission income. We may require tax identification information and may issue tax forms where required by law (for example, IRS Form 1099-NEC for U.S. persons paid above applicable thresholds).
• Disclosure: Affiliates must clearly disclose their material connection to Hydra Usenet in accordance with applicable law (including FTC endorsement guidelines in the United States).

Affiliate portal and program changes

Approved Affiliates may access a secure partner dashboard at /affiliate/ to view referral performance and commission status. We may modify commission rates, payout thresholds, tracking rules, or terminate the Affiliate Program or any Affiliate account at any time, with or without notice, except for commissions already marked as paid. Continued participation after changes constitutes acceptance of updated program terms.

Questions about the Affiliate Program: [email protected].

Disclaimers and legal

Violations and use of information

If you use these services in violation of this agreement, you understand you may be in violation of local, federal, and/or civil laws. You agree to be responsible for all legal fees and loss of any income due to the owners and corporate officers of this site. You understand your membership will be canceled without notice or refund. You will not use or provide any information about or contained within this site against the providers, owners, corporate officers, and/or creators of this site in any legal action.

General disclaimer

Hydra Usenet does not represent nor endorse the accuracy or reliability of any of the information, content, or advertisements (collectively, the “Material”) contained on, distributed through, or linked, downloaded, or accessed from this website (collectively, the “Service”). Hydra Usenet does not represent nor endorse the quality of any products, information, or other materials displayed, purchased, or obtained by you as a result of an offer in connection with Hydra Usenet. Any reliance upon any Material shall be at your own risk. Hydra Usenet reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to correct any error or omissions in the Service or Material.

THE SERVICE, MATERIAL, AND PRODUCTS ARE PROVIDED BY HYDRA USENET ON AN “AS IS” BASIS. HYDRA USENET EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL HYDRA USENET BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER.

Hydra Usenet acts merely as a forum for the expression of ideas, thoughts, and information. We do not exert editorial control over posted material and are not responsible for inaccurate, offensive, inappropriate, or defamatory material, nor material that violates a community's norms. Hydra Usenet demands that users comply with all laws. If unsure if a posting violates a law, contact the Electronic Frontier Foundation or an attorney prior to posting.

Indemnity & sponsors

If Hydra Usenet is named as a defendant in a lawsuit, threatened with legal action, or incurs expenses to defend itself due to a user's actions, postings, or statements, the user shall indemnify and hold harmless Hydra Usenet for all expenses. This includes, but is not limited to, defamation, libel, copyright/trademark infringement, and transmission of pornographic material. The sponsors of hydrause.net are separate legal entities and are not responsible for user actions. The user shall also indemnify the sponsors of hydrause.net against any legal action resulting from user activity.

By entering this website or clicking any links within, you release and discharge the providers, owners, and creators of this site from any and all liability.

Contacting us

You may contact us using the contact form on our website (the most efficient method) or by sending an email directly to [email protected]. Responses are typically provided within 24 hours, and often much sooner. Please direct any questions regarding this disclaimer to support prior to subscribing.

See also our Privacy Policy, Notice and Takedown, and Cookie Settings.