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?