What are the most common enforcement actions?

The most common enforcement actions for email marketing violations include warning letters and compliance orders, requiring organizations to cease unlawful practices and implement corrective measures. Many regulatory actions don't result in fines-regulators often prioritize bringing organizations into compliance rather than imposing penalties. Formal warnings, required audits, mandatory process changes, and public reprimands address violations while giving organizations opportunity to improve.

When fines are imposed, they typically address clear consent violations: sending marketing without valid consent, ignoring unsubscribe requests, pre-checked consent boxes, bundled consent that doesn't meet GDPR standards, and continued emailing after subscribers opted out. Under GDPR, fines for consent violations can reach €20 million or 4% of global turnover. Under CAN-SPAM, violations can cost up to $50,000 per email. CASL penalties can reach $10 million CAD per violation for businesses.

Beyond formal regulatory action, practical enforcement often comes from industry mechanisms. ISPs block or filter mail from persistent violators. ESPs suspend accounts for high complaint rates or compliance failures. Blocklist operators like Spamhaus list sending IPs/domains based on spam behavior. These industry consequences often arrive faster and hit harder than regulatory fines-losing your ability to send email can shut down marketing overnight. Enforcement comes from multiple directions: regulators impose fines, ISPs block delivery, ESPs terminate accounts. Compliance protects you on all fronts.