- Jan 24, 2011
- 9,378
The CRTC has issued its first fine under Canada’s new anti-spam legislation. Quebec-based Compu-Finder was handed a $1.1-million penalty Thursday for violating the law, which requires companies to obtain explicit consent from users before sending them emails.
The CRTC alleges Compu-Finder sent users commercial emails without their consent and didn’t allow them to unsubscribe from the emails.
“Compu-Finder flagrantly violated the basic principles of the law by continuing to send unsolicited commercial electronic messages after the law came into force to email addresses it found by scouring websites,” read a statement from Manon Bombardier, chief compliance and enforcement officer at the CRTC.
“Complaints submitted to the Spam Reporting Centre clearly indicate that consumers didn’t find Compu-Finder’s offerings relevant to them.”
The law, which came into effect in July 2014, requires businesses to obtain explicit consent from a user in order to send them an email.
Implied consent – when a company assumes you have given consent by providing your email address when making a purchase, for example – is no longer good enough.
Companies must also clearly identify themselves in each message and allow consumers to unsubscribe from digital mailings.
Businesses that violate the law face penalties of up to $10 million per violation, while individuals could be fined up to $1 million per infraction.
Compu-Finder has 30 days to contest the ruling, or face the $1.1-million penalty.
Read more: http://globalnews.ca/news/1866029/c...-compu-finder-first-fine-under-anti-spam-law/
The CRTC alleges Compu-Finder sent users commercial emails without their consent and didn’t allow them to unsubscribe from the emails.
“Compu-Finder flagrantly violated the basic principles of the law by continuing to send unsolicited commercial electronic messages after the law came into force to email addresses it found by scouring websites,” read a statement from Manon Bombardier, chief compliance and enforcement officer at the CRTC.
“Complaints submitted to the Spam Reporting Centre clearly indicate that consumers didn’t find Compu-Finder’s offerings relevant to them.”
The law, which came into effect in July 2014, requires businesses to obtain explicit consent from a user in order to send them an email.
Implied consent – when a company assumes you have given consent by providing your email address when making a purchase, for example – is no longer good enough.
Companies must also clearly identify themselves in each message and allow consumers to unsubscribe from digital mailings.
Businesses that violate the law face penalties of up to $10 million per violation, while individuals could be fined up to $1 million per infraction.
Compu-Finder has 30 days to contest the ruling, or face the $1.1-million penalty.
Read more: http://globalnews.ca/news/1866029/c...-compu-finder-first-fine-under-anti-spam-law/