The CAN-SPAM Act (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act) is a United States law that establishes requirements for commercial email. While it is a US law, its principles form the global baseline for email compliance and are referenced in the policies of major email providers. Even if you are not based in the United States, following CAN-SPAM principles protects your sender reputation and reduces the risk of your emails being marked as spam.
The following CAN-SPAM requirements are enforced automatically by Scoutiv on every single email sent through the platform, on every plan, without exception.
CAN-SPAM requires that every commercial email includes a clear and conspicuous mechanism for recipients to opt out of future emails. Scoutiv automatically appends a working unsubscribe link to every email footer. This cannot be disabled, hidden, or removed. The link is unique to each recipient and each campaign, ensuring it always works correctly.
CAN-SPAM requires that unsubscribe requests be honored within 10 business days of receipt. Scoutiv exceeds this requirement significantly. The moment a recipient clicks your unsubscribe link:
There is no delay. There is no manual step required from you. Suppression is instant and permanent.
CAN-SPAM prohibits deceptive header information — your From address must accurately identify who is sending the email. Because Scoutiv sends using sender accounts you connect, every email comes from a real, verified email address. There is no masking, no spoofing, and no misleading sender identity.
Scoutiv maintains a permanent suppression list for each sending account. This list grows every time a recipient unsubscribes. It never resets. If you upload a new contact list that contains previously suppressed addresses, Scoutiv automatically identifies and skips those addresses at send time without any manual review required from you.
While Scoutiv handles the technical enforcement described above, the following requirements remain your responsibility as the sender:
CAN-SPAM prohibits deceptive subject lines. Your subject line must accurately reflect the content of your email. Do not use misleading language, fake urgency, or deceptive framing designed to trick recipients into opening. Beyond being a legal requirement, honest subject lines protect your sender reputation and build trust with your audience over time.
Every commercial email must include a valid physical mailing address for the sending business. This can be a street address, a registered business address, or a legally registered P.O. box. Scoutiv provides the unsubscribe link automatically — the physical mailing address must be included manually in your email template footer.
If your email is a commercial advertisement and it is not being sent to someone with an existing relationship with your business, CAN-SPAM requires that it be clearly identified as an advertisement. Exactly how to do this is flexible — it does not require a specific label — but the message must not be deceptive about its commercial nature.
You must never manually add a previously suppressed or unsubscribed email address back to a campaign list. Scoutiv will detect and skip suppressed addresses automatically, but the responsibility for not bypassing this system — for example, by creating a second account to re-contact suppressed recipients — lies with you.
CAN-SPAM applies primarily to commercial emails — messages whose primary purpose is to advertise or promote a product or service. It does not apply in the same way to purely transactional emails — messages that facilitate a transaction the recipient has already agreed to, such as order confirmations, password resets, or account notifications.
If you are using Scoutiv to send transactional emails, the unsubscribe requirement may not apply in all cases, but we still recommend including it as best practice.
If you have any doubt about whether a specific email falls under CAN-SPAM's commercial email definition, treat it as commercial and include the unsubscribe link. The cost of including an unsubscribe link is zero. The cost of a CAN-SPAM violation can be up to $51,744 per email.
If you believe someone is using Scoutiv to send spam or violate CAN-SPAM, report it immediately to [email protected]. Include as much detail as possible — the sending email address, the email content you received, and the date and time you received it. We investigate every report and take enforcement action where violations are confirmed.