What Does the CAN-SPAM Law Say?


The CAN-SPAM Act is a component of the legislation that creates guidelines for mail servers, specifies regulations for such communications, and allows users the option to cease receiving advertising emails. "Controlling the Attack of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act" is what the abbreviation CAN-SPAM means.

All corporate messages—defined by the legislation as "any official email transmission the principal objective of which is the professional advocacy or sponsorship of a business model or service"—are subject to the law's requirements. The legislation prohibits the transmission of unsolicited bulk messages without the participant's agreement, requirements that professional emails have correct heading and subject lines, and demands that each mail also provide a clear unsubscribe option.

Businesses that abuse the CAN-SPAM Legislation may be faced with severe charges, ranging cost up to $15,000 per communication. In order to stay out of these fines, it is important for companies to comprehend and abide by the CAN-SPAM regulations while using digital marketing.

Note − Above price range can vary from country to country.

Requirements of CAN-SPAM Law

Numerous specifications for advertising email communications are laid down in the CAN-SPAM Act. A number of key prerequisites are as follows −

  • Information about the sender − The user's identity as well as their email address must be included in the email for the recipient to clearly recognize who is transmitting it.

  • Correct subject lines − The email statement's opening sentence must appropriately represent the communication's content.

  • Opt-out mechanism − The communication must clearly and conspicuously show subscribers how to unsubscribe from sending messages from the originator in the future. There may be a straightforward unsubscribe link that is simple to locate and utilize.

  • Physical location − The recipient's legitimate physical postal location must be provided in the message. It might be a public mailbox, a postal service box, or a corporate letterbox enrolled with a business mail-receiving organization.

  • Inform customers how else to stop getting emails from you in the forward − Your communication will clearly and prominently explain how the recipients can choose not to receive notifications from you at any time in the forward. Design the notification such that it is simple for a person to recognize, comprehend, and follow. Clarity may be enhanced by clever use of font size, color, and positioning. Provide individuals a chance to contact you via emails or some other simple Internet method so you may ask them about their selection. The opportunity to cease receiving all promotional communications from you must be present in any menu you designate for recipients to choose not to receive particular messages of any kind. Check to see whether your testing tool is blocking these opt-out requests.

  • Keep an eye on the work that other people perform for you − Under the law, you cannot negotiate aside your obligation to abide by the law, even though you engage another business to manage your messaging. It is possible to hold both the firm who sent it and the corporation whose products are advertised in it legally liable.

  • Respecting opt-out demands − If a receiver chooses not to receive more emails from the provider, the communicator must comply within a period of ten business days. Also, it is unlawful to trade or sell an opt-out e-mail address.

  • Sending style − Email needs to be delivered in a method that still doesn't fool the receivers. This implies that now the author, the offered item or services, along with all other content in the email response must be appropriately represented in the letter.

These only represent a few of the CAN-SPAM Act's main criteria. Companies that use marketing automation should be aware of the legal obligations and take the necessary precautions to comply.

Does the CAN-SPAM Act Protect the Emails My Company Sends Out?

Emails sent by your business are not protected by the CAN-SPAM Act. However, the legislation establishes guidelines and specifications for the promotional emails that your business transmits to anyone else. The purpose of the regulation is to shield those who receive promotional emails from uninvited and misleading advertisements and to give them a simple way to stop receiving such emails.

One must observe the CAN-SPAM Act's regulations if your business carries out unsolicited email communications. To do this, you must disclose the recipient, offer an obvious alternative for opting out, and honor opt-out demands within ten working days. Ensuring that the emails appropriately portray the author and the products or services being sold, and give a working physical location.

Charges, including penalties of up to $15,000 per email, are possible for violating the CAN-SPAM Act. So, while using email marketing, it's crucial for firms to comprehend and abide by the regulations.

Are There Different Restrictions That Apply to Emails That Are Sexually Explicit?

In accordance with the CAN-SPAM Act, sexually explicit email correspondence is subject to different regulations. Sexually explicit email communications have to include specific disclosures in contrast to adhering to the law's standard obligations, such as recognizing the sender and offering a transparent opt-out method.

Emails that are sexually explicit should expressly also include a label saying "SEXUALLY-EXPLICIT" in the opening sentence. Another double exclamation mark ("!!") must be used to divide the labeling from the remainder of the opening sentence. The label must be written in all capital characters.

Emails that are sexually explicit must also clearly and prominently state that they include materials that are sexually explicit. The notification must be included at the start of the email response and clearly visible to recipients.

What if the Email Contains Details from Many Businesses? Who is Answerable for CAN-SPAM Compliance as the "Sender"?

The "communicator" accountable for CAN-SPAM compliance depends on the email's principal goal if it contains information from many businesses. If a corporation's products or services are promoted or advertised primarily in an email, that firm has deemed the sender and is in charge of adhering to the CAN-SPAM Act.

The firms engaged may all be regarded as "senders" and jointly accountable for CAN-SPAM adherence, however, if the email contains advertising from numerous companies and its primary objective is to advertise the goods or services of each simultaneously.

When numerous businesses are participating in sending an email, it's crucial to explicitly distinguish each of them and offer users a clear and obvious way to unsubscribe. Each business participating in the email distribution process should make sure they adhere to the CAN-SPAM Act's regulations.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which upholds the CAN-SPAM Act, recently declared that it uses a "facts and conditions” methodology to identify the "sender" of an email for CAN-SPAM adherence. This implies that while assessing compliance, the FTC will take into account all pertinent details and conditions.

Updated on: 06-Apr-2023

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