Apr 23, 2019

The CRTC has slapped a $100,000 fine for the first time to an individual that “is held liable” under Canada’s anti-spam legislation (CASL) committed by a corporation. Brian Conley violated the CASL, which was committed by nCrowd, a company that operated under several other business names (Teamubuy, DealFind and Dealathons). The company has sent numerous “unsolicited” emails to many Canadians and offered promotional vouchers for sales on products. The emails were sent repeatedly and would let consumers redeem offers from third-party suppliers, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) said in an April 23rd release . “As this decision shows, individuals can’t hide behind their company’s structure or online entities. Today’s outcome sends a strong message that they can — and will — be held liable for the spam the companies they control send to Canadians. Those who send commercial emails to Canadians must comply with Canada’s anti-spam law at all times, or face the consequences,” Steve Harroun, CRTC’s chief compliance and enforcement officer, said in a press release. To note, the CRTC can impose a fine of up to $1 million CAD per violation for individuals and up to $10 million CAD per violation for businesses.