CAN-SPAM updates from the FTC

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has just updated a few of the CAN-SPAM rule provisions. A few of the rules more likely to impact include:

(1) an e-mail recipient cannot be required to pay a fee, provide information other than his or her e-mail address and opt-out preferences, or take any steps other than sending a reply e-mail message or visiting a single Internet Web page to opt out of receiving future e-mail from a sender;

In other words, the opt-out has to either be through an email reply or a one-page form (with limited information requested). You can't force a user to login to a site or to provide additional details in order to opt-out.

..and the Commission’s views on how CAN-SPAM applies to forward-to-a-“friend” e-mail marketing campaigns, in which someone either receives a commercial e-mail message and forwards the e-mail to another person, or uses a Web-based mechanism to forward a link to or copy of a Web page to another person. The SBP explains that, as a general matter, if the seller offers something of value in exchange for forwarding a commercial message, the seller must comply with the Act’s requirements, such as honoring opt-out requests.

If using this type of viral communication, it would best to abide by the regulations for these emails as well.