New Anti-Spam Legislation in Effect July 1
OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - June 30, 2014) - Industry Canada
On July 1, 2014, Canada's anti-spam legislation will come into force. The new rules will protect Canadian consumers from the most damaging and deceptive forms of spam and online threats, such as identity theft, phishing and spyware, and will help drive out spammers.
Canada's anti-spam legislation is the result of extensive consultations with Canadian businesses and consumers. Many steps have been taken to limit the impact on Canadian businesses, while ensuring strong protections for consumers online. Organizations will have three years to obtain express consent from their existing clients to continue to send them emails. Registered charities, which operate on the generosity of Canadians, will be able to continue to request donations.
The Harper Government is delivering on a commitment to put Canadian consumers first. The coming into force of Canada's anti-spam legislation is a key principle under Digital Canada 150, the government's plan for Canadians to take full advantage of opportunities in the digital age.
Quick facts
Quotes
"Canadians should not receive emails that they do not want or did not ask to receive. Protecting consumers online is a priority, and that is why we are taking action to eliminate malicious online threats against Canadians. Canada's anti-spam law will put the interests of consumers first while ensuring that Canadian businesses can continue to thrive in the online marketplace."
- Industry Minister James Moore
"This legislation will help deter deceptive online marketing practices that harm legitimate businesses' ability to compete and that negatively impact consumers' ability to make informed decisions. Together with the help of fellow federal agencies, we will work to vigorously enforce the law in order to prevent this type of anti-competitive activity from occurring."
- John Pecman, Commissioner of Competition, Competition Bureau
"Clearly, spamming is an online activity that can involve a misuse of personal information and compromise an individual's sense of privacy. The coming into force of this law is an important step to help address privacy risks in the online world, and my Office looks forward to working with our enforcement partners to better protect Canadians."
- Daniel Therrien, Privacy Commissioner of Canada
"The CRTC is ready to do its part to protect Canadians from online threats and contribute to a more secure online environment. We have been actively informing Canadian businesses about the anti-spam legislation and their new responsibilities. Our goal is to ensure that their commercial electronic messages-whether an email, text message, message on a social media network or other form of electronic communication-comply with the rules. We have a variety of enforcement tools at our disposal, including the ability to execute warrants and impose significant monetary penalties, and we will use cutting-edge cyber security techniques to investigate violations."
- Jean-Pierre Blais, Chairman, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
Related products
• Canada's anti-spam legislation (fightspam.gc.ca)
• Roles of the enforcement agencies
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