CAN-SPAM Act

7 December 2004

Publishing Services Bureau hosted this audio seminar on anti-spam laws that may affect certain types of email sent by MIT. The seminar was offered by ACUTA, the Association for Communications Technology Professionals in Higher Education.

On January 1, 2004, the CAN-SPAM (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing) Act went into effect. The provisions of this far-reaching law pertaining to commercial email apply equally to both non-profit institutions and for-profit organizations. Institutions using email to market anything -- including telecommunications services, publications, continuing education programs, event tickets, books, etc. -- need to be aware of the legal requirements or potentially face significant financial penalties. These requirements don't just apply to bulk email; even single email messages that are considered commercial are covered.

This seminar covered the key provisions of the CAN-SPAM Act, how it applies to colleges and universities, how to define commercial email, and what essential provisions (such as a uniform and accurate opt-out procedure) need to be in place to ensure compliance.

Presenter
Amy Worlton attorney, Wiley, Rein and Fileding, Washington, DC

Marsha Sanders, senior communications officer in the Office of the Provost, and Monica Lee, director of the Publishing Services Bureau, prepared the following PowerPoint presentation outlining the key points of the CAN-SPAM Act.

Tools and links
PowerPoint presentation (556KB .ppt)