Anti-Spam Policy
What is SPAM?
There are many variations on the definition of Spam. Simply put, Spam is any email that is not requested
or anticipated by the recipient. Below you will find a more scientific definition provided by The
Spamhaus Project.
The word "Spam" as applied to Email means Unsolicited Bulk Email ("UBE").
Unsolicited means that the Recipient has not granted verifiable permission for the message
to be sent. Bulk means that the message is sent as part of a larger collection of messages, all
having substantively identical content.
Technical Definition: An electronic message is "spam" IF: (1) the recipient's personal identity and context are irrelevant because the message is equally applicable to many other potential recipients; AND (2) the recipient has not verifiably granted deliberate, explicit, and still-revocable permission for it to be sent; AND (3) the transmission and reception of the message appears to the recipient to give a disproportionate benefit to the sender.
The real damage of Spam is not the threat of litigation as much as it is irreversible damage to your product or brand, which can result in:
- Loss of Credibility
- Tarnished Image
- Guilt by Association
What is not SPAM?
There are two key properties that keep your messages from being defined as Spam: (1)
the recipient had previously requested information from your organization and; AND (2) the email
contains a means through which the recipient can easily remove themselves from the mailing list.
Permission based communications can include:
- Company newsletters
- Product/Support updates
- News updates
- News relating to product and services offerings
How Sevista protects you from being perceived as a SPAMMER
- Strictly enforcing our own Terms of Service: Under section 5 (“Spamming”) of Sevista’s Terms of Service agreement, which all system users must agree to, our policy is clearly stated as: User shall not use the Service for in any way, form or manner for chain letters, junk email, "Spamming" (defined below) or any use of distribution lists to any person who has not given specific permission to be included in such a process, including without limitation the collection, storage or transmission of information for such a distribution list. An e-mail advertisement which is (a) addressed to a recipient with whom the initiator does not have an existing business or personal relationship and (b) is not sent at the request of or with the express consent of the recipient to receive such communications from You is defined as "Spam" or "Spamming." If any User uses the Service for Spamming, Sevista Technologies, Inc. reserves the right to immediately terminate User's access to the Service and to seek appropriate legal recourse as necessary.
- Providing an automated means for recipients to unsubscribe: Users are required to include the unsubscribe mechanism within all campaigns. When the recipient engages the unsubscribe function, they are automatically marked as an unsubscribed user in the client database. The client has access to detailed reporting on all unsubscribed users.
Ask yourself: Are you a possible SPAMMER?
To ensure your recipients don’t perceive you as a Spammer, ask yourself these important
questions:
- Have you guessed at the format of some of the email addresses?
- Are you sending to non-specific addresses? (Ex: sales@domain.com)
- Are you sending emails to anyone who has not explicitly signed up for your communications?
- Does the subject line or content of your message contain misleading information?
- Does your email fail to provide a working link from which the user can easily unsubscribe?
If you can answer “Yes” to ANY of these questions, you should reconsider sending your campaign, as you will likely be perceived as a Spammer.
Talk to your Sevista Account Manager for advice on how to better target and personalize your
campaigns to avoid being labeled a Spammer.
SPAM Laws
While there are no enacted Federal Spam Laws, there are some that are being proposed.
There are, however, laws that are being enforced and proposed on a state -by-state basis. For
the most current information on Federal and State Spam Laws, please visit: http://www.spamlaws.com/us.html
Enforcement of Sevista’s SPAM policy
Upon receipt of a complaint regarding unsolicited emails being sent from our platform,
an investigation will begin.
Research & Determination: Sevista will contact the originating source of the complaint to determine the specifics of the complaint (when, originating campaign, etc.). The client will be contacted for additional information. If the result of the research concludes that the complaint is legitimate, and that the email sent was Spam, the following will occur:
- Initial Warning – the client will be contacted about the complaint and:
- Reminded of the terms they accepted in the Terms of Service agreement.
- Notified that email recipient has been flagged as “unsubscribed” from the client database for permanent suppression.
- Asked to remove or flag the recipient from their in-house data files.
- Follow-up Warning – a second warning is issued if complaints continue to persist. The action items listed above are performed and the client is advised that failure to adhere to Sevista’s Spam Policy & Terms of Service will result in a request to discontinue use of the Sevista platform.
- Final Notice – continued complaints after the follow-up warning will result in the suspension and ultimate termination of the Users access to the Sevista platform.
*Depending on the severity of the Spam complaint, Sevista reserves the right to terminate the agreement at any time.
Spam Resources
List of pending and enacted legislation
DMA Accepted Email Practices
AIM Accepted Email Practices
Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email