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Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation

Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation

About the CASL

The Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (called CASL; pronounced castle), which came into effect on July 1, 2014, is one of the world's most stringent anti-spam laws. Its primary purpose is to prohibit the sending of spam (i.e. unwanted Commercial Electronic Messages, or CEMs). CASL also regulates the following activities:

  • Providing false or misleading information in a message
  • Altering transmission data
  • Installing unwanted and malicious computer software (e.g. viruses, spyware)
  • Collecting personal information
  • Harvesting addresses

Any messages that contain commercial content may constitute Commercial Electronic Messages under CASL. Please note, however, that CASL does not apply to messages that are solely related to the core activities of the University because these activities are not "commercial" in nature. It also does not apply to messages sent by the University for the primary purpose of raising funds.

Because of the serious consequences that can potentially result from contravening the regulations, faculty and staff are encouraged to make use of the information resources provided in this site.

Questions about CASL may be directed to General Counsel

UFV Resources

The above documents have been adapted from the University of British Columbia and with their permission. 

External Resources

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