Report a site, copyright and takedowns
Honest Local Web hosts websites that our customers build and run themselves. We do not write or check their content. Here is how to tell us about a problem.
1. Report a problem (anyone)
Email legal@honestlocalweb.ca. Please include:
- the full page address (for example https://honestlocalweb.ca/business-name/)
- what the problem is
- how we can reach you
For scams, phishing, viruses, threats or anything that harms a child, write "URGENT" at the start of the subject. We look at urgent reports first and can hide the site while we check.
2. Copyright notices (Canada's notice-and-notice system)
Under sections 41.25 to 41.27 of Canada's Copyright Act, a copyright owner can send a host a notice of claimed infringement. Send it to copyright@honestlocalweb.ca. It must be in writing and include:
- your name and address (and the owner's, if you act for them)
- the work you own, and what rights you claim
- the exact page address, and what on it breaks your copyright
- the date and time of the claimed infringement
What happens next:
- We forward your notice to the site owner by email, as the law requires. We tell you that we did, or why we could not.
- We keep the records the law requires for 6 months, or longer if a court case starts.
- As the law requires, we do not forward notices that ask for money, ask for a settlement or personal information, or link to such demands.
- A notice on its own does not mean we remove the page. If you also want us to look at hiding it, say so in your email.
3. Defamation and other legal complaints
Email legal@honestlocalweb.ca with the page address, the exact words you say are false and harmful, why they are false, and how to reach you.
We will usually hide the page while the site owner answers. We do not decide who is right. That is between you and the site owner, or for a court. We follow court orders.
4. Police and government
Send requests and orders to legal@honestlocalweb.ca. If a child's safety is at risk, contact the police or Cybertip.ca first.
How fast we act
- Urgent reports: as soon as we see them.
- Copyright notices: forwarded within 2 business days, usually sooner.
- Other written complaints: we reply to say we got it, and aim to act within 5 business days.
If your site was hidden
If you own the site and think a report was wrong, first fix anything that needs fixing. Then reply in writing to legal@honestlocalweb.ca with:
- the page address
- why your content is allowed (for example, you took the photo or have a licence for it)
- your name, address and email
- a line saying we may pass your reply to the person who complained
We may keep the page offline if it puts us at legal risk, if a court order backs the complaint, or until the dispute is settled.