The CRTC, which regulates Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), has announced that it has imposed its first fine under the new legislation, which came into effect in 2014. Quebec-based Compu-Finder has been fined CDN$ 1,100,000.00 for repeated violations of the CASL rules, including sending unwanted emails and failing to provide appropriate opportunity for email recipients to unsubscribe.
Under CASL, the regulator can impose fines of up to CDN$ 10,000,000.00 per organization and up to CDN$ 1,000,000 per individual for violation of the CASL rules. Also, commencing in 2017, private lawsuits may be brought against entities in violation of CASL.
This is the first reported fine imposed under the CASL rules. Previously, the CRTC has worked with organizations which were the subject of complaints to educate and assist them in arranging for appropriate CASL compliance. The announcement indicated that approximately one quarter of all spam complaints received to date relating to Compu-Finder's industry sector have involved this particular organization.
More information on Canada's Anti-spam Legislation can be found in our previous blog post here.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
