Federal Anti-Spam Legislation (CAN-SPAM): What Insurers Need to Know

New Federal legislation took effect on January 1, 2004, requiring changes to email marketing practices. Although the changes are minor, failure to comply could result in fines or even jail time.

In a new report, "Federal Anti-Spam Legislation (CAN-SPAM): What Insurers Need to Know," Celent examines the CAN-SPAM Act and how it affects carriers. Recommendations are provided to assist carriers in planning their compliance efforts.

The report highlights portions of the Act that are of particular interest to insurance carriers. The new rules range widely in scope, from simply ensuring that the carrier痴 physical address appears on every email that could be considered advertising to complex issues related to independent agents' electronic marketing efforts.

"Even though complying with the initial phases of the Act is not difficult, carriers must take it very seriously. And they must keep a close eye on how the FTC interprets the Act moving forward," said Chad Hersh, a senior analyst in Celent痴 insurance practice and author of the report.

The report is aimed at helping business and IT executives begin a dialog with their legal and compliance counterparts. It also provides a model workflow for complying, as well as a timeline for the Act痴 implementation and interpretation.

The 12-page report contains 1 figure and 2 tables.

A is available online.

of Celent Communications' Property/Casualty Insurance and Life/Health Insurance research services can download the report electronically by clicking on the icon to the left. Non-members should contact info@celent.com for more information.