Spamming Information
The CAN SPAM Act is a law that can result in fines of up to $250 per email sent if the email being sent is not CAN SPAM compliant. Before sending any emails to more than one or two individuals, please review the information on this page. It is your responsibility as the sender to ensure CAN SPAM COMPLIANCE! If you have any questions or comments please ask your IT Administrator.
Note that the CAN SPAM Act applies to all Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and any other social networking environment that permits and/or distributes messages electronically.
Innocent emails, sent in bulk, can cause a compliance issue. For example, an email that is used for informational purposes which would normally be compliant, like a newsletter or news bulletin, but has a signature or tag line like, (Join us for our 90th anniversary celebration. Check our website for details.), would cause the email to fall under the CAN SPAM Act and would be out of compliance as it would be a solicitation for money, services or a product in relation to the event or conference. Anyone sending emails with a signature line should take this into account before placing a “promotional” statement within the signature space of an email.
Your mailings are CAN-SPAM compliant if:
- The subject line is not misleading and is clear as to the body of the email. If there is a commercial advertisement or a solicitation to purchase any product or service anywhere in your email, you must be clear that the email is an advertisement in the subject line. If you have an in-house list of individuals who have opted-in, in other words provided you with their email address, you are exempt from the use of words such as “advertisement” or “solicitation” to label the message. However, if there is a single non-opt-in address, the subject line must contain the word advertisement or solicitation if you are selling a product or service.
- The email headers, sending email address and other identifiers in the headers have not been tampered with in order to conceal your identity.
- The body of the email contains a valid physical address for the sender. (This is done by putting your name, email address and title as part of your signature line.)
- The email contains a functioning opt-out mechanism, and opt out requests are honored within 10 business days of receipt of that request. (This can simply be a statement, in the signature line, that the receiver can reply to the email with a request for removal.)
Nonprofits have additional rules that must be followed:
Provide a valid physical postal address of the sender. (This can be done in the signature line.)
Sample Compliant Signature Line If You Are Selling A Product Or Service:
You have received this Email because EXAMPLE COMPANY would like to offer you our services. To avoid future contact from EXAMPLE COMPANY, please e-mail UNSUBSCRIBE@EXAMPLE-URL.com, or reply to this e-mail with the word ‘UNSUBSCRIBE’ as the subject line of your message. Your request will be honored, we do not buy or sell email addresses. Our mailing address is EXAMPLE COMPANY, ADDRESS1, CITY ST 12345. Our Phone number is (888) 888-88888 (toll free). Thank You.
Sample Compliant Signature Line For A Newsletter or Other Informational Only Document:
You have received this e-mail because you opted in to the EXAMPLE COMPANY newsletter during an online purchase. To avoid future newsletters from EXAMPLE COMPANY, please email UNSUBSCRIBE@EXAMPLE-URL.com, or reply to this e-mail with the word ‘UNSUBSCRIBE’ as the subject line of your message. Our mailing address is EXAMPLE COMPANY, ADDRESS1, CITY ST 12345. Our Phone number is (888) 888-88888. All other e-mail inquiries should be directed to info@EXAMPLE-URL.com. Thank You.