The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced its first major fine under Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). On March 5th, 2015, CRTC issued a Notice of Violation to Compu-Finder, including a $1.1 million dollar penalty for violations. The Chief Compliance and Enforcement Officer found that Compu-Finder sent commercial electronic messages (“CEMs”) without the recipient’s consent and emails in which the unsubscribe mechanisms did not function properly.
While this is the first Notice of Violation, the CRTC started investigating Compu-Finder in July 2014, the first month CASL came into effect. The CRTC has said it is also assessing other complaints and a number of investigations are currently underway.
Don’t let the CRTC’s lack of enforcement up until this point lull you into a false sense of security. Make sure you are following the rules laid out in CASL to avoid stiff penalties. If you’re unsure about how the law applies to your organization consult with a lawyer.
Click here to learn more information about Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation
Click here to read the CRTC press release about Compu-Finder penalty
