CommSec pays $55k after breaching Spam Act

Three complaints from 6.7 million emails.

CommSec, the Commonwealth Bank's stock trading arm, has agreed to pay a $55,000 to The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) after breaching the Spam Act during 2009.

According to ACMA, CommSec customers complained that they had continued to receive commercial messages despite having withdrawn their consent. The watchdog "also identified that email campaigns conducted by CommSec in January, February and March 2009 did not provide an option to unsubscribe", which is required under the Spam Act.

"Under the Spam Act, every person has the right to unsubscribe from receiving commercial electronic messages and to have that request acted on effectively and quickly. The failure to act on a request can result in significant penalties if a business is found to have breached the Act," said ACMA chairman Chris Chapman in a statement.

The undertaking (available here in pdf format) between the organisations revealed that CommSec sent almost seven million emails in the past 12 months, which resulted in three complaints to ACMA.

ACMA has ended its investigation after it found CommSec to be cooperative and proactive in dealing with the matter. CommSec has also agreed to provide additional training to key staff and relevant contractors who work on these systems and provide a quarterly audit and report on its progress.

Neither ACMA or CommBank were available for comment.

Copyright © iTnews.com.au . All rights reserved.
CommSec pays $55k after breaching Spam Act

What are your thoughts on this article? Add your comment below.

To begin commenting right away, you can log in below or register an account if you don't yet have one. Please read our guidelines on commenting. Offending posts will be removed and your access may be suspended. Abusive or obscene language will not be tolerated. The comments below do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of SC Magazine, Haymarket Media or its employees.

NOTE: You must be a registered member of SC Magazine to post a comment.

Click here to login | Click here to register
comments powered by Disqus
Sign up to receive SC Magazine email newsletters
   FOLLOW US...
Most Read