The Canadian Radio, Television and Communications Commission (CRTC) reported Wednesday that clothing retailer Gap has agreed to pay a $200,000 fine to Canadians.
• Read also: Gap to close stores in the UK and Ireland
According to the organization, Gap, which operates channels Banana Republic and Old Navy, among others, sent unsolicited commercial emails to many Canadians between January 2018 and June 2021. However, the Canadian Anti-Spam Act (CASL) Companies are required to obtain the consent of their customers before sending them advertising messages.
Additionally, CASL requires companies to add a link to their email messages so that people receiving it can easily unsubscribe, a measure Gap has been slow to implement.
For these reasons, the CRTC explained that it gave Gap a warning in December 2018, but to no avail as consumer complaints continued to pile up. A formal investigation was then opened in June 2021, which eventually caught the retailer’s attention.
“Gap fully cooperated with our investigation, voluntarily signed an agreement and proactively took corrective action to ensure its compliance,” said Stephen Harron, CRTC’s Chief Compliance and Investigations Officer.
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