What is the main purpose of the CAN-SPAM Act?
What is the main purpose of the CAN-SPAM Act?
The main purpose of the CAN-SPAM Act is to ensure that organizations respect individual rights when using electronic advertising. This law establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have emails stopped from being sent to them, and spells out tough penalties for violations. It applies broadly to any commercial electronic mail message whose primary purpose is the commercial advertisement or promotion of a commercial product or service, thus protecting individual rights in the context of electronic advertising.
The CAN-SPAM Act doesn’t apply just to bulk email. It covers all commercial messages, which the law defines as “any electronic mail message the primary purpose of which is the commercial advertisement or promotion of a commercial product or service,” including email that promotes content on commercial websites. The law makes no exception for business-to-business email. That means all email – for example, a message to former customers announcing a new product line – must comply with the law.