Everyone seems to have heard about CASL – Canada’s Anti-spam Legislation, but few are aware of its implications. There’s lots of information about CASL already available online, but a lot of it is complicated, often with legal jargon.
CASL will be in effect as of July 01, 2014 and will impose significant requirements on businesses to acquire consent in order to send marketing emails and other commercial electronic communications.
If you’ve been ignoring this because you think it doesn’t apply to you, you’re wrong.
What are the main requirements of CASL?
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CASL applies to everyone: individuals. incorporated and unincorporated businesses, non profit organizations.
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Permission must be obtained before sending email.
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Under CASL, you must be able to prove you have consent.
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Once CASL is in effect, you will not be able to send an electronic message requesting consent because it will be considered a Commercial Electronic Message (CEM)
What is the Penalty for Violating CASL?
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Fines of up to $1 million dollars for individuals
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Fines of up to $10 million dollars to organizations
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Potential criminal charges for companies that intentionally mislead recipients
If one thing is clear, it’s that businesses must now take action in order to prepare themselves for the new rules under CASL.
I encourage you to contact us , and take advantage of our 30 minutes Free CASL compliance audit.