How does segmentation intersect with compliance (consent boundaries)?

Segmentation must respect what people agreed to receive.

Under GDPR, CASL, and similar regulations, consent is specific. If someone subscribed to product updates, that's not permission to send promotional offers. If they opted into one brand in your portfolio, that doesn't cover all your brands.

Consent categories become segments. Marketing consent, transactional consent, partner communications, specific topic interests. Each is a boundary you can't cross without explicit permission.

Suppression segments matter. Unsubscribed contacts, complained contacts, and those who withdrew consent must be excluded from relevant campaigns. These aren't optional preferences. They're legal requirements.

Granular preferences create complexity. When you offer topic-based subscriptions or frequency controls, you're creating segments that must be honored. The more choices you offer, the more segmentation logic you need.

The intersection is this: segmentation enables compliance, but segmentation also creates compliance obligations. Every consent category you track becomes a segment you must maintain and respect. Build your segmentation architecture with these boundaries in mind from the start.