That's the headline in a recent article published in itbusiness.ca.
Read the article
In summary it outlines some of the details of Bill C-28 which recently received royal assent. The potential fines for sending unsolicited e-mails are massive and should discourage many e-mail campaigns using purchased e-mail lists.
Autobot Spam Probably won't be affected
The article goes on to indicate that much of the spam created using hacked autobots will not be stopped, but the impact on reducing unwanted e-mail will still be significant.
So how do you ensure you are not spamming? The essential is that you have received consent to send the recipient the e-mail. this means signing up for a newsletter, blog or other e-mail list.
Interestingly, the reason I learned about this article was because I have subscribed to an e-mail list sent out by itbusiness.ca which featured this article as one of its feature links. This is legitimate use of e-mail and does not run afoul of the new law.
Review your company and personal use of e-mail lists
It is now a requirement that you immediately look at your e-mail lists and determine how you have developed the addresses on your list. Have they come from explicit consent for you to use them? Do you have an ongoing (within the past two years) relationship with the holders? If so then you can use those e-mails, if not then it is time to clean your list and rebuild it.
It is now part of my work plan to be sure our company list complies, not only because it is the law, but also because it is going to become even more important not to be seen as a spammer.
In the end this legislation will be good for legitimate e-mail communication. It changes the way e-mail lists are thought of but that is a good thing.
How legitimate are your e-mail lists? What plans do you have to ensure you comply? Does e-mail marketing take a hit because of this kind of legislation?
Lee K
