CASL Compliance

What is CASL?

Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) came into force on July 1, 2014. It regulates the sending of commercial electronic messages (CEMs) — including SMS and email — to recipients in Canada. CASL is one of the strictest anti-spam laws in the world.

If you use HeroHere to send review requests to Canadian customers, CASL applies to you. The good news: HeroHere is designed from the ground up to help you stay compliant automatically.

CASL's three core requirements

1. Consent

You must have either express or implied consent to send a CEM to a recipient.

Express consent means the recipient has explicitly opted in to receive messages from you. Implied consent exists when you have an existing business relationship with the recipient — for example, they have purchased from you or made a service inquiry within the past 2 years.

In the context of HeroHere, a customer you have recently served has an existing business relationship with you, which typically provides implied consent for a review request. However, you should consult a legal professional for advice specific to your situation.

2. Identification

Every CEM must clearly identify who is sending the message. HeroHere includes your business name in every review request sent on your behalf.

3. Unsubscribe mechanism

Every CEM must include a functioning unsubscribe mechanism, and opt-out requests must be honoured within 10 business days. HeroHere handles this automatically:

• Every SMS includes opt-out instructions (reply STOP)
• Every email includes an unsubscribe link
• STOP replies are processed instantly — the customer receives no further messages
• Opt-out records are maintained permanently to prevent future contact

What HeroHere does automatically

• Instant STOP processing: Any customer who replies STOP is immediately removed from all future messages across both SMS and email — with no action required from you.
• Permanent opt-out records: We maintain a permanent suppression list so opted-out contacts are never messaged again, even if you re-enter their details in the future.
• Sender identification: Your business name appears in every message so recipients always know who is contacting them.
• Message cap: A maximum of 3 reminders within a 90-day window — we never bombard customers.
• Minimum gap: At least 2 days between messages to avoid harassment.

Your responsibilities

HeroHere handles the technical compliance requirements. You are responsible for ensuring you have appropriate consent before submitting a customer's contact details to HeroHere. Specifically:

• Only submit contacts with whom you have an existing business relationship
• Do not submit contacts from purchased lists or third-party sources
• Do not submit contacts who have previously asked not to be contacted
• Maintain records of your customer relationships in case consent is ever questioned

CASL vs CAN-SPAM

If you also have US customers, CAN-SPAM (the US equivalent) applies to email communications. HeroHere complies with CAN-SPAM requirements as well — including sender identification, physical address disclosure in email footers, and functioning unsubscribe links.

CASL is generally stricter than CAN-SPAM. Compliance with CASL typically means compliance with CAN-SPAM as well, but not vice versa.

Not legal advice

This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice specific to your business and situation, please consult a qualified lawyer familiar with Canadian communications law.

Questions

If you have questions about how HeroHere handles compliance, email us at hello@herohere.live.