Definition
The Spam Control Act (SCA) is Singapore's legislation regulating unsolicited commercial electronic messages, including email. Its core requirements are consent, accurate sender identity and an operable unsubscribe mechanism.
Under the SCA, senders must clearly identify the sender and provide accurate contact information, and every commercial message must include a functional unsubscribe mechanism that is honored promptly. It shares principles with laws like CAN-SPAM.
Compliance expectations differ from Europe's GDPR-style explicit consent; the SCA focuses on honest identity, opt-out and message identification. Overseas senders can still face obligations if they send into Singapore, so align your practices globally.
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Related Glossary Terms
Abuse Complaint
An abuse complaint is a report from a recipient who marks an email as spam, which negatively affects sender reputation and deliverability.
Anonymized Data
Anonymized data is email subscriber or interaction data that has been stripped of personally identifiable information so individuals cannot be re-identified.
Australia Spam Act 2003
The Australian Spam Act 2003 bans unsolicited commercial email, requiring consent, accurate sender information and a clear, working unsubscribe facility on every message.
Brazil LGPD Email Marketing
Brazil's LGPD regulates personal data use for marketing, requiring a legal basis such as consent or legitimate interest, plus transparency and clear opt-out in email campaigns.
CAN-SPAM Act
The CAN-SPAM Act is a US law that sets rules for commercial email. It requires accurate subject lines, a physical address, a clear opt-out mechanism, and prompt processing of unsubscribes. Violations can result in penalties up to $51,744 per email.
Canada CASL Guide
CASL (Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation) requires express or implied consent, clear identification, and a functioning unsubscribe mechanism before sending commercial electronic messages to Canada.
Frequently Asked Questions
It requires consent to commercial messages, accurate sender identity and contact information, and a clear, functional unsubscribe that is honored.
It can apply to those sending commercial messages into Singapore. It is best to build consent, identity and opt-out practices that work globally.
Singapore's SCA focuses on honest sender identity, consent and opt-out, while GDPR centers on explicit consent and data protection. Both demand clear permission and easy opt-out.