As a business owner, you may be wondering if it is illegal to sign someone up for a newsletter. The short answer is that there is no definitive answer, as the legality of signing someone up for a newsletter depends on the specific state in which you are located.
However, most states do not prohibit businesses from signing people up for newsletters, with the exception of California which has some restrictions.
The legality of newsletters generally falls into two categories: advertising and promotion. Signing someone up for a newsletter generally falls into the category of promotion, as it is a way to promote the company or product.
This is generally considered lawful under state advertising laws, provided that the newsletters are not misleading or deceptive. For example, if a newsletter includes a free trial offer, that would be an example of an offer that would be considered promotional and would therefore be lawful under state law.
If you are located in California, however, there are some restrictions on the use of email addresses for marketing purposes. In particular, businesses cannot use email addresses to collect personal information from their customers or to send unsolicited emails.
This means that companies cannot sign people up for newsletters using their email addresses without first obtaining permission from those customers. If you are located in California and need to sign someone up for a newsletter using their email address, you will likely need to provide them with a separate invitation (rather than using their address directly) or use an opt-out process.