You cannot use AWS to send spam emails or run email lists that don't comply with anti-spam laws — and AWS can shut down your account if you do.
This analysis describes what Amazon's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
This restriction establishes a boundary on permissible use of AWS infrastructure and ensures the Services are not deployed for spam distribution or non-compliant bulk messaging operations, which protects both the platform's operational integrity and recipient interests under applicable messaging regulations.
This provision protects consumers from spam sent via AWS infrastructure, and businesses using AWS for email campaigns must maintain documented opt-in consent from all recipients to avoid account suspension and regulatory penalties under CAN-SPAM and GDPR.
How other platforms handle this
You may not use Shopify's Services to send spam, unsolicited communications, or engage in harassment of any person. This includes using Shopify's email or messaging tools to send bulk unsolicited messages to consumers who have not opted in to receive communications from you.
You may not automatedly crawl or query the Services for any purpose or by any means (including, without limitation, screen and database scraping, spiders, robots, crawlers and any other automated activity with the purpose of obtaining information from the Services) unless you have received prior exp...
relate to transactions involving (f) the promotion of hate, violence, racial or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory or the financial exploitation of a crime... (i) involve offering or receiving payments for the purpose of bribery or corruption.
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"No Unsolicited Email. You may not use the Services to send unsolicited email, including junk mail, advertising, or promotional material, to individuals who have not agreed to receive such emails from you. You may not use the Services to operate any mailing list that does not comply with all applicable laws.— Excerpt from Amazon's AWS Acceptable Use Policy
(1) REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: This provision directly implements CAN-SPAM Act requirements (15 U.S.C. § 7701-7713, FTC enforcement), which mandate opt-out mechanisms, honest header information, and subject line accuracy for commercial email. GDPR Art. 6 and Recital 47, along with ePrivacy Directive 2002/58/EC Art. 13, require affirmative opt-in consent for direct marketing emails to EU recipients, going significantly further than CAN-SPAM's opt-out model. CASL (Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation) requires express or implied consent and imposes penalties up to CAD $10 million per violation. UK PECR (Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003) mirrors ePrivacy requirements. (2)
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This restriction establishes a boundary on permissible use of AWS infrastructure and ensures the Services are not deployed for spam distribution or non-compliant bulk messaging operations, which protects both the platform's operational integrity and recipient interests under applicable messaging regulations.
This provision protects consumers from spam sent via AWS infrastructure, and businesses using AWS for email campaigns must maintain documented opt-in consent from all recipients to avoid account suspension and regulatory penalties under CAN-SPAM and GDPR.
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