Changes to CAN SPAM Law

Leave your comment Posted by success

The FTC has approved changes to the CAN SPAM Act which regulates how businesses can and cannot send email. In the past the rules have included:

1) Senders email must be clear on who its from (no email spoofing…using someone else’s email).

2) Email needs to have a clear unsubscribe notice.

3) Advertising must be labled as an ad in the subject.

The new changes are:

“The new rule provisions address four topics:

(1) an e-mail recipient cannot be required to pay a fee, provide information other than his or her e-mail address and opt-out preferences, or take any steps other than sending a reply e-mail message or visiting a single Internet Web page to opt out of receiving future e-mail from a sender;

(2) the definition of “sender” was modified to make it easier to determine which of multiple parties advertising in a single e-mail message is responsible for complying with the Act’s opt-out requirements;

(3) a “sender” of commercial e-mail can include an accurately-registered post office box or private mailbox established under United States Postal Service regulations to satisfy the Act’s requirement that a commercial e-mail display a “valid physical postal address”; and

(4) a definition of the term “person” was added to clarify that CAN-SPAM’s obligations are not limited to natural persons.”

I’m not a lawer so I’m not sure what a “natural person” is … as compared to just a person. But it will pay to understand the CAN SPAM law as violating it can cost you some money plus loss of your Internet services.

To learn more about the changes in the CAN SPAM Act visit the FTC.