06 Nov Trending in Business: Updates on Canada’s Anti-Spam Laws
By Grant T. Smith
I read the news today, oh boy.
I read an article about Canada’s anti-spam law, which is known as Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (“CASL”). It caught my eye because I was speaking about it just the other day. That is not quite true, my colleague Corinne Impey of Six Words Communication, was speaking for both of us and I was nodding my head politely.
It was a big deal for Clearline when CASL came into effect and it cost us some money and work to become fully compliant with the new rules. Business owners out there in newsletter land will remember the pain of implementation and the challenge of getting people to consent to communication.
It has been a few years now and I had only occasionally wondered about whether CASL was successful. I know that based on my inbox, which is still full of spam, there does not seem to be much impact.
However, I was very pleased to see a piece on CASL by Michael Geist in the Globe and Mail on Tuesday 31 October. By the way, Happy Halloween to everyone and happy birthday to both my daughter Megan and my colleague Reese.
Mr. Geist gave some insights that brought me great comfort:
- Canada has become a leader in anti-spam.
- We have ceased to be a potential safe haven for spammers by enacting these laws and tough penalties.
- Our marketing lists have become more reliable and have increased consumer trust.
- We have now signed international enforcement agreements with four countries and agreements with twelve agencies in another eight countries.
- Are you ready for this? Geist tells me we are “a world leader in effective e-mail campaigns.” You and I know that is a result of this amazing newsletter, but let him have his little delusion.
I know this is not a really big deal to a lot of people, but I thought this update was worth sharing and that it is nice to have a bit of a good news story. If you are running a business, it is of value to understand that the pain of 2014 is having a positive effect.
If you need more information on how to comply with CASL go to www.fightspam.gc.ca
Source: Globe and Mail 31 October 2017 Like Buckley’s, Canada’s anti-spam law may taste bad, but it works, by Michael Geist, Canada research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law at the University of Ottawa’s faculty of Law