CAN-SPAM Act Requirements
While there are several requirements of the CAN-SPAM act, there are a few in particular that impact the unsubscribe or opt out option. To better understand why you may receive more emails after unsubscribing and if it’s allowed by this act, let’s look at these requirements.
📌 First, the message must contain a clear explanation of how the recipient can unsubscribe from future marketing emails. This explanation should be easy to spot, read, and understand.
📌 Second, if the message is sent to current members or subscribers, it must still include an option for the recipient to opt out of marketing emails. Note that many spam filters may not recognize these messages as junk unless you mark them as such.
📌 Finally, unsubscribe options must be allowed to be processed for at least 30 days after the email is sent and be honored within 10 business days of the request.
⚠️ Additionally, the sender cannot:
- Charge a fee to recipients opting out.
- Request personally identifiable information other than the email address.
- Require additional steps beyond sending a reply or visiting a single webpage.
- Sell or transfer email addresses from recipients who opt out unless it’s to transfer the addresses to a company for assistance in CAN-SPAM act compliance.
💡 Good to know: As of this writing, an email that violates this act “is subject to penalties of up to $53,088,” and yes, that’s just for one email!
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Get started for FreeHow Senders Handle Unsubscribe Requests
As you read through the above requirements and no-no’s, you’re probably thinking, “Does unsubscribing from spam emails work?” The truth is that it does work if the sender is legitimate and follows the rules. Unfortunately, there are illegitimate senders who do not.
The Good
A trustworthy email sender will adhere to the requirements and provide a simple, understandable, and clear way to unsubscribe from future messages. And, they will honor your opt-out request within the required 10 business days.
The Bad
An untrustworthy sender may use “dark patterns” when sending emails. These include hiding or obscuring the unsubscribe option, using language to shame recipients into staying on the mailing list, repeatedly sending the same messages to those who don’t open them, and non-compliant opt-out workflows.
The Ugly
A super untrustworthy sender will not only violate compliance, but may also use an unsafe opt-out website to obtain additional personal information, attach malware to the link they direct you to, and/or include an indicator that notifies them you have an active email address.
Additionally, spammers may participate in email address harvesting where they buy, sell, or trade email address lists with other spammers or use bots or even deceptive means to obtain email addresses.
💡 Tip: Clean Email’s Unsubscriber tool allows you to remove yourself from mailing lists individually or in bulk and without interacting with any of the emails.
How Interacting With Spam Can Backfire
Considering all of the above with illegitimate senders, it’s no wonder that interacting with spam can backfire and trigger more junk emails flooding to your inbox.
⚠️ The most common reasons for this are replying to a spam email or opening a message that contains tracking pixels (invisible or disguised). Both of these actions can notify the sender you have an active email address and lead to additional spam.
📌 It’s also important to remember that clicking an unsubscribe link in the email may not only direct you to an unsafe website and even result in a phishing attempt, but also provide activity tracking and an active account confirmation to the sender. Before you know it, you receive even more unsolicited emails!
💡 Tip: With Clean Email, you can see a preview of any email you receive. This allows you to review a snippet without even opening the message and thus put those tracking monitors at bay.
Safer Ways to Reduce Risks and Clutter with Clean Email
For those unfamiliar with the evasive tactics used by untrustworthy senders or others who are simply not as tech-savvy, what’s the solution to, “the more I unsubscribe, the more spam I get”? The answer is a simple one — Clean Email.
📌 This safety-first mailbox management tool is the ideal supplement to your current email app. It offers a robust feature set for not only maintaining a clutter-free inbox but also for navigating the challenges of unwanted emails and unsubscribing. ➡️ Try Clean Email for free
Unsubscriber: As mentioned earlier, you can safely unsubscribe from emails in bulk and don’t have to open or interact with a message to do so. Simply head to Unsubscriber in the menu, select specific senders or even all subscriptions, and hit Unsubscribe.
Screener: View and approve messages from unknown senders before they land in your inbox. Visit the Screener section to Allow emails you want, Block senders you don’t, or Unsubscribe from unexpected subscriptions.
Auto Clean: Create mailbox rules to manage messages without lifting a finger. You can set up conditions such as sender or subject line to automatically move, mark, or delete emails.
These days, everyone should be privacy-conscious, especially when it comes to emails. That’s why Clean Email also provides a clear commitment to its users’ privacy and security and does not read message content or sell user data.
Clean Email supports all IMAP service providers making it ideal if you use multiple accounts or mixed inboxes. Best of all, it offers the same features with seamless syncing across mobile apps for iOS and Android, desktop on macOS, and any web browser.
Wrap-Up
You can stop the “I unsubscribe and still get emails” pattern. Use your email provider’s unsubscribe option and spam reporting feature rather than links provided by the sender.
Better yet, take advantage of the tools offered by Clean Email. They help you stop wanted messages, unsubscribe safely, and maintain a healthy, clutter-free mailbox.
