CASL Text Message Compliance

How to write CASL compliant text messages.

Timothy Barnes avatar
Written by Timothy Barnes
Updated over a week ago

The Canadian Anti-Spam Law known as CASL applies to any text messages you need to send through Gazelle. But due to the 140 character limits on SMS messages, merging all the information CASL requires in the body of the message is not practical. However, CASL has a provision for accepting a 'Web Link' an alternative way to comply when using SMS for your business. 

What does a CASL compliant text message look like?

When do Character Limits become a problem?

Character limits become an issue for SMS messages when trying to comply with the "Identification" and "Unsubscribe Mechanism" clauses of CASL Section 6 regulations. 

For Identification:

CASL States that "when it is not possible to include required information in the body of a message (due to space limitations) then a hyperlink to a web page containing the appropriate information is an acceptable practice as long as the web page is readily accessible at no cost to the recipient of the CEM..." - Reference

For Unsubscribe Mechanisms

To send CASL Compliant text messages in Gazelle you need to do two things:

  1. Include the words "Reply STOP to End" at the end of all text messages

  2. Include a hyperlink to your Identifying Information (which can be a link to your business contact page)

 
Don't forget to also update your texting autoresponder, which should look like. 

Save Characters - Create Shortened URL's Using Bit.ly 

Creating shortened URL's using Bit.ly is easy and FREE. Just copy the URL you need shortened, go to bit.ly, paste into the search bar and viola! You will get a shortened URL. 


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