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Email unsubscribe compliance and CASL compliance in the Canada

Short answer

CASL requires express or implied consent before sending and identification of the sender in every message. Email unsubscribe compliance supports compliance by making sender identity verifiable and recipient choices enforceable.

What CASL requires#

CASL requires express or implied consent before sending and identification of the sender in every message.

What email unsubscribe compliance is#

Unsubscribe compliance covers the legal and provider requirements for letting recipients opt out: a visible link, one-click List-Unsubscribe headers (RFC 8058), and processing within a defined window.

Why it matters#

Gmail and Yahoo require one-click unsubscribe for bulk senders, and every anti-spam law requires a working opt-out. Easy opt-out also lowers complaints.

How email unsubscribe compliance supports CASL compliance#

Regulators and recipients need to identify who sent a message and trust that opt-out mechanisms work. Email unsubscribe compliance contributes by gmail and Yahoo require one-click unsubscribe for bulk senders, and every anti-spam law requires a working opt-out. Easy opt-out also lowers complaints.

Implementation steps#

  1. Include a visible unsubscribe link in every marketing message.
  2. Add List-Unsubscribe and List-Unsubscribe-Post headers so providers show a native unsubscribe button.
  3. Process opt-outs immediately; the legal maximum is 10 business days in the US, but providers expect 2 days.
  4. Never require login or more than one click to unsubscribe.
Example headers
List-Unsubscribe: <https://example.com/u/abc123>, <mailto:unsub+abc123@example.com>
List-Unsubscribe-Post: List-Unsubscribe=One-Click

Frequently asked questions#

What is one-click unsubscribe?

An RFC 8058 header pair that lets the mailbox provider send a POST to your endpoint when a user clicks Unsubscribe in the client, with no landing page.

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