With the rules of Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) now finalized and its first phase set to take effect on July 1, it’s time for channel players to become familiar with the law and determine how it will impact the way they do business and their customers.
Learn more about CASL – View our Canadian Anti-SPAM Legislation Workshop Webcast
We’ve worked with the following e-commerce, anti-spam and privacy law experts we think following them on Twitter will help you better understand CASL and its implications.
Neil Schwartzman is a Canadian anti-spam activist. He’s been involved in anti-spam activities since 1995, back when many people thought spam was just a canned meat product. He is the executive director of the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email (CAUCE) and current chair of the Messaging Anti-Abuse Group (MAWWG). He sat on the Canadian Federal Task Force on Spam and the United States FCC’s CSRIC Network Abuse protection working group. We think his Twitter handle is cute.
@cjmcguinness @briankrebs ” kids think the internet gives them both omnipotence and anonymity”. No. that is what being a kid is. remember?
— Neil Schwartzman (@spamfighter666) May 14, 2014
my delicious glass of water, a reward for two hours if my time as a hostage. I hear Boco Haram > @AirCanada pic.twitter.com/6Mj21cZHFQ — Neil Schwartzman (@spamfighter666) May 8, 2014
@OtherInbox we are so happy here at spamfighter central that you replied to us. After SIX YEARS we had given up hope. Also #CancelledAccount — Neil Schwartzman (@spamfighter666) May 14, 2014
Michael Geist is a regular in Computer Dealer News, IT World Canada and ITBusiness.ca articles. He’s our go to resource person when it comes to privacy, e-commerce issues and stories involving government and technology. Michael holds the Canada research chair in Internet and e-commerce law at the University of Ottawa.
“There’s been a lot of hyperbole and exaggeration about CASL,” he says. “rather than actually talking about what the legislation really involves…we get a lot of people up in arms about a legislation that is far from the horror story that it’s made out to be.”
RT @MichaelBolen: Ottawa is spying on Canadians without a warrant and it’s time to do something about it http://t.co/uhtkV5dQBB
— Michael Geist (@mgeist) May 22, 2014
Good news on music streaming: board rates close to Internet company ask, Pandora could return to Canada http://t.co/rrscCRGYGu — Michael Geist (@mgeist) May 21, 2014
Barry Sookman is partner Toronto’s McCarthy Tetrault LLP. While it’s clear CASL limits freedom of commercial speech in some situations, a judge could deem that those are reasonable limitations because they protect the privacy of would-be message recipients. If the legislation limits speech only to the extent that it needs to in order to meet its goals, it’s a good law, he says. If it goes too far, then it infringes on the Charter. @bsookman
Computer and Internet Law Updates for 2014-05-21: A Guide to Canada’s Anti-Spam Law CASL http://t.co/Kk7bxYTk9… http://t.co/hkhP4voDKJ — Barry Sookman (@bsookman) May 22, 2014
Publisher not forced to delete archived article on man’s spent conviction http://t.co/vGlnVIihz1
— Barry Sookman (@bsookman) May 22, 2014
A Guide to Canada’s Anti-Spam Law CASL http://t.co/Kk7bxYTk9N — Barry Sookman (@bsookman) May 21, 2014
Patent Reform to deal with trolls dies in US Senate http://t.co/9HO68bG8tA
— Barry Sookman (@bsookman) May 22, 2014