Gap Inc. has agreed to pay $200,000 to the Canadian government for violating Canadian anti-spam legislation.
A statement from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) suggests that Gap violated anti-spam laws between January 2018 and August 2021.
During that span of time, Gap Inc. sent commercial electronic messages to Canadians without the necessary consent.
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In December 2018, CRTC staff issued a letter warning Gap that the commission had received complaints from Canadians regarding their electronic messaging practices. In June 2021, due to continued complaints against Gap, the CRTC’s Chief Compliance and Enforcement Officer (CCEO) opened a formal investigation.
The results of the investigation require Gap to implement “corrective measures,” in addition to the payment of $200,000.
“Gap fully cooperated with our investigation, voluntarily entered into an agreement and proactively implemented corrective measures to ensure compliance. Cooperation is at the core of our approach to compliance as it avoids lengthy investigations and obtains timely results for Canadians,” said CRTC Chief Compliance and Enforcement Officer Steven Harroun in a statement.
Gap is a major US-based global retailer that also operates Banana Republic and Old Navy.
Anti-spam facts
Between October 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021, the Spam Reporting Centre (SRC) received approximately 5,560 complaints per week.
76% of the messages reported to the SRC involved affiliate marketing or businesses selling or promoting the sale of goods or services.
The following are the top five categories of affiliate marketing messages:
CRTC
Lack of consent, the primary driver behind the Gap investigation, is also the top reason Canadians complain.
CRTC
Email is the biggest source of spam, followed by text messages.
CRTC
The CRTC recommends that Canadians use the online spam reporting tool for any perceived violations of Canada’s anti-spam legislation.
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