# CAN-SPAM Act of 2003

*Regulation*. US law that lists the guidelines, requirements, and penalties regarding the sending of commercial bulk email.

The [Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003 (CAN-SPAM)][can-spam-act] (15 U.S.C §§ 7701-7713) lists the guidelines, requirements, and potential penalties for noncompliance regarding the commercial use of email and the legal rights of recipients of commercial email. CAN-SPAM notes several requirements for commercial senders including, but not limited to:

* Senders may not use false or misleading headers.
* Senders may not use deceptive subject lines.
* Senders must give their recipients the option of opting out of commercial email.
* Senders must honor all opt-out requests.

To learn more about this law, see the US Federal Trade Commission's [CAN-SPAM Act Compliance Guide][can-spam-act-guide].

> \[!NOTE]
>
> The guidelines laid out in this law represent the "bare-minimum" regarding sending practices. Following these guidelines doesn't guarantee delivery to your recipients' inboxes.
>
> To learn how to improve your sending practices, see \[Deliverability Tips and Tricks]\[tt-deliverability].

> \[!CAUTION]
>
> CAN-SPAM regulations go beyond bulk email. It covers *any* commercial email communication, including business-to-business and business-to-customer email.

[can-spam-act]: https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business

[can-spam-act-guide]: https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business