As a 100% Canadian email marketing tool, we protect your subscribers’ privacy. In the wake of a recent executive order that may put at risk the privacy of data belonging to non-U.S. citizens, it’s time for marketers to review their choice of email marketing tools.
If you are using a U.S.-based email marketing provider, the personal information belonging to your non-U.S. subscribers is no longer protected by the U.S. Privacy Act regarding personally identifiable information. This is a pretty big deal.
What is the Executive Order on domestic safety?
On January 25, 2017, the U.S. government issued an executive order that excludes non-U.S. residents’ “personally identifiable information” from U.S. privacy laws. Specifically, the order says U.S. agencies must “ensure that their privacy policies exclude persons who are not United States citizens or lawful permanent residents from the protections of the Privacy Act regarding personally identifiable information.” In other words, U.S. privacy rights no longer extend to non-U.S. citizens.
What does this mean for you? If many of your subscribers are not U.S. citizens, and their data is being handled by a U.S. company, their personal information can be intercepted, stored and examined by U.S. government agencies.
How can it impact my subscribers’ privacy?
If you are an email marketer, this decision brings some pretty serious implications. Let’s say you are using a U.S.-based email marketing tool. By loading your subscriber lists and sending your newsletters with this tool, personal information belonging to your non-U.S. subscribers can be accessed and scrutinized by the U.S. government. While this is not automatically the case (at least from what we understood from client experiences), the possibility exists and for some, it is something to consider.
And while you may say “I’m not doing anything wrong, so am not worried about a privacy risk,” your subscribers trust you to maintain the privacy of their personal information. When data is shared irresponsibly, there is always a risk that it can be misused. Simply exposing your non-U.S. subscriber data to government scrutiny can pose an unforeseen risk to your subscribers, and your company.
Cakemail: Always 100% Canadian
In case you’re wondering: yes, Cakemail is a 100% Canadian company. All your personal data is hosted on and remains on Canadian soil. If you are managing an email marketing program from outside the U.S., your subscribers’ data stays private. Period.
We welcome any questions you may have about this executive order and how it may impact your subscribers’ privacy. Don’t hesitate to reach out to support@cakemail.com.
