Canadian Business Groups Wage War Against Anti-Spam Law
Written by Sue Walsh on February 18, 2013
Canadian business groups are continuing to wage war against the country’s anti-spam law,
claiming it should protect THEM, not consumers. I suppose you could look at it that way, if by protecting businesses they mean keeping them from doing stupid things that could get them labelled spammers. Okay, sure. The anti-spam law may very well protect businesses from themselves!
The groups are unhappy because they say the law’s tough opt-in mandate, which will require them to get customer consent before sending them any marketing emails is unfair and will be too costly, requiring them to maintain huge databases. Bizarrely, they also say the law is “out of step” with the rest of the world. In reality much of the world has been requiring opt in for some time now as a standard business practice. They’ve already been given an extension to 2017 before they must switch to the opt-in system.
They are also demanding that they be given exceptions to requirements regarding installation of software.
Canada’s anti-spam law has been roundly criticized, first because the country took forever to actually enact one, and then due to the years in limbo the law has been stuck in thanks to bureaucratic dithering and red tape. Now business leaders are stepping in to block it further. It’s time the country got its act together and put the law into practice. Until they do, Canada will continue to be one of the most popular targets and hosts for spammers and scammers, who know because of the law’s delays that they can get away with almost anything.
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Now here’s the problem. Well, I’ve already expected this. I guess people will only support something that benefits them. If it makes their life a bit harder, even if it’s a good cause, then they are the first ones who are going to show some resistance. I just hope that these businesses should become a bit more accountable when it comes to promoting their business to consumers. If they aren’t spamming, they’re misleading people! Those who cross the line should be given the utmost punishment, whether it’s financial penalties or even imprisonment.
I really don’t know what’s tough about that opt-in clause. It’s not even new. Even those marketers who live in countries that do not have any spam law are already practicing it. To be very honest about it, this doesn’t have to be included in the law. It is plain common sense and courtesy to those Internet users who place their trust in your business or marketing campaigns. I just don’t know what’s up with these businesses. They’re simply too scared to be more accountable.
Businesses will always do their best to protect their interests. Isn’t this the usual conspiracy theory as to why a certain law is passed or not? If I can recall, in one of Michael Moore’s documentaries, he pointed out that one of the reasons why the United States skipped social medicine is because of those health insurance companies lobbying on congress people, giving them huge “presents” if they will simply vote against it. Poor Hilary. But I don’t think there’s any way for the government not to remain indebted to these businesses as they pay huge taxes to them.
I hear you, Leo, though I don’t like to call it a conspiracy theory. It’s just how things work. It’s normal for people to defend what they think is their right or a violation of their interests. You know, we also do that. When the health care issue erupted, we also rallied for and against it, and we hardly hear any news about the business meddling with it. I just think those who complain are businesspersons who don’t know a lot about online marketing. Otherwise, they would understand that opt-in is very essential, if not mandatory if they don’t want to be called spammers.
This somehow paints a clear picture of one of the hindrances in the fight against spam. You do not know whether the business groups’ intentions are for the good of everyone or for themselves. They ask for help in protecting their businesses from no-good hackers and spammers, but they themselves are doing things that can hinder the progress of a worthy project. They keep complaining, and complaining isn’t a part of progress. Makes me wonder aloud: are they really concerned about the effects of the law or are they merely trying to protect the interest of their business or company?