How to Comply with the CAN-SPAM Act

The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, which, in spite of its name, discourages email spam. CAN-SPAM stands for Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act. In essence it sets forth a list of requirements for commercial emailers and outlines the penalties for spamming. Therefore, if you are in the process of developing an email campaign for your business, it is best to become familiar with the CAN-SPAM Act to avoid inadvertently spamming your email recipients.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Avoid misleading header information. You must enter the correct “To/From” information in the email. Do not mislead recipients into believing the email is coming from a different source. The recipient must be able to accurately identify the origination of the email.

2. Stay away from “Subject” lines that are deceptive. The underlying theme in the CAN-SPAM act is avoiding misleading information. Be careful when coming up with witty Subject lines. The subject line should be a reflection of the contents of the email.

3. Provide a method for opting out of the email list. Each email must contain a way for the recipient to easily opt out of receiving further email from your company. Once the recipient opts out of your email program, you have 10 business days to remove them from the list and stop sending emails to the recipient’s address.

4. Do not sell email addresses of individuals who opted out of your mailing list. According to the CAN-SPAM Act, it is illegal

Tips & Warnings

• For more information on the CAN-SPAM Act, visit the Federal Trade Commission website.
• Violating the terms set forth in the CAN-SPAM act can result in fines of up to $11,000.

Resources

• Federal Trade Commission

[themexican]

on 8/23/2009 5* and a recommendation for someone who actually remembers this is a law!

[goodselfme]

on 4/19/2009 thank you for the info for can spam act

[starlet67]

on 4/18/2009 I agree, lets CAN-SPAM!5*