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Important: Read below
for information regarding the CAN-SPAM Act. Email and the Internet were designed for a kinder, gentler time when
everyone looked out for each other's welfare. Unfortunately until judgment day the world
will be full of selfish,
greedy people and a large number of them are trying to make money online at the
expense of others. One way they do this is by using the network bandwidth and
e-mail servers that others are paying for. Because of
this there are some policies we must enforce regarding unsolicited commercial
e-mail, otherwise known as "spam."
We take "spam" seriously. Any complaints sent
to us regarding e-mails you send out will be taken seriously. These complaints may result in
disruption or termination of your service if, in our opinion, these guidelines
were not followed.
- Any e-mail address you use in a list for a mass-mailing must be obtained
with the owner's consent and full knowledge of how it will be used. For
example, if you have a registration form on your website that collects an
e-mail address, the page should clearly state that this will be used to send
future offers, that it will or will not be sold to other parties, or whatever you will do
with the information they provide to you.
- Whatever methods you use to obtain e-mail addresses should protect against third-party signups.
One way to do this would be to send a verification e-mail that basically says
something similar to this: "you or someone else on your behalf, have signed
you up for whatever we offer. Please reply to this message to let us know
whether you want to be on our list."
(Example: Joe is mad at Bill, so he post's Bill's e-mail address on your form. Because
of the verification message, Joe's attempt will fail unless Bill actually
wants to be added to your list. If you did not have verification, Bill would
start getting mail from you and would probably complain to us about it.)
- All legitimate mass-mailings MUST include a prominent disclaimer that (1)
the person requested to be on the list, and (2) they may be removed from the
list at any time with a simple request.
The CAN-SPAM Act On Jan. 1,
2004, the CAN-SPAM Act ("Controlling the Assault of
Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003")
takes effect in the United States. This law affects pc|mac
and our customers who use e-mail to promote their
business. The following is a quick overview of the law
and what pc|mac is doing to
comply.
CAN-SPAM Briefly
- Message headers and subject lines cannot be
false or misleading
- Commercial e-mail messages must be clearly
identified as such
- The sender's postal address must be included in
all commercial e-mails
- Senders must provide an opt-out mechanism
- Senders must respect recipients' opt-out
requests
- The federal law supersedes all state SPAM laws
- Penalties: Up to $6 million fines and 5 years in
jail
This new legislation impacts everyone who sends or
receives commercial advertising e-mails. The law
requires senders of commercial e-mails to provide an
easy means for recipients to opt-out (unsubscribe) from
unwanted commercial messages.
The CAN-SPAM law pertains to commercial advertising
emails your company sends as well. If you have any
questions regarding your e-mail advertising/marketing
practices, we encourage you to consult an attorney.
The information contained herein is not intended as
legal advice. Readers should consult an attorney.
Additional Resources Here are some resources that provide more information about spam.
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