What qualifies as “publicly available” contact info?

The concept of publicly available data is frequently misunderstood in cold email contexts.

Generally considered public:

Contact pages on company websites

Published press releases and media kits

Government registries and filings

Professional directories where listing is voluntary

Business cards shared at events

More ambiguous:

LinkedIn profiles (public to users but governed by terms of service)

Social media profiles (platform rules apply)

Conference attendee lists (often have usage restrictions)

Professional association directories (may restrict commercial use)

Critical distinction:

Public availability is a question of access

Permission to use is a separate question

Under GDPR, public availability doesn't automatically provide lawful basis for marketing

Context matters: a journalist's email published for press inquiries may not be appropriate for sales outreach

Practical test: Would the person reasonably expect to receive your type of message based on where they published their contact information?