CAN-SPAM is a U.S. law that sets requirements for commercial email. Learn what CAN-SPAM requires and how to stay compliant when sending outreach.
The CAN-SPAM Act is a U.S. law that defines rules for commercial email and gives recipients the right to opt out of marketing messages. It applies to many types of promotional emails and outlines requirements around identification, transparency, and unsubscribing.
Core compliance themes include not using deceptive subject lines, identifying the message as an advertisement when appropriate, including a valid physical address, and honoring unsubscribe requests promptly. While CAN-SPAM does not require prior consent in the same way some other regions do, it still penalizes misleading or abusive practices.
If you send email at scale, build compliance into templates and workflows: include unsubscribe options, keep lists updated, and maintain clear sender identity. For international audiences, you’ll often need to follow stricter rules such as GDPR or CASL in addition to CAN-SPAM.