OTTAWA-GATINEAU — The CRTC’s chief compliance and enforcement officer announced today a penalty of $75,000 to Scott William Brewer for violating Canada’s anti-spam legislation (CASL) by allegedly sending hundreds of thousands of commercial emails without prior consent — marking the largest fine ever issued by the Commission to an individual for sending spam messages.
Between December 2015 and May 2018, Brewer allegedly sent more than 670,000 spam messages in what are known as hailstorm spam campaigns, where a very high volume of emails is sent over a short period of time, before anti-spam defences can respond and block the messages.
Brewer’s spam campaigns focused on affiliate and web marketing and included the promotion of four online casinos that would compensate him through their affiliate programs for new customers. Other spam messages promoted Brewer’s services for online marketing and webpage development.
The CRTC says none of the evidence gathered during its investigation indicated Brewer obtained the necessary consent.
“Spam campaigns, such as those carried out by Mr. Brewer, are disruptive to Canadians and undermine their confidence in electronic commerce. Obtaining consent is a fundamental principle of Canada’s anti-spam legislation. The penalty issued today demonstrates that individuals are just as accountable as businesses and must respect this principle,” said Steven Harroun, the CRTC’s chief compliance and enforcement officer, in a press release.
Since CASL came into force, the CRTC’s enforcement efforts have resulted in payments of more than $1.4 million, including penalties totalling approximately $805,000. In addition, $668,000 has been paid as part of negotiated undertakings.
To read the notice of violation issued to Brewer by the CRTC, please click here.
