The policy prohibits sending to role-based email addresses, addresses harvested from websites or online sources without permission, and addresses generated through automated or dictionary-attack methods.
This analysis describes what Mailchimp'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 provision establishes specific prohibited list acquisition and targeting practices beyond the general consent requirement. Under this clause, technically compliant consent practices may still violate the policy if the list sourcing method falls within one of the enumerated prohibited categories.
The agreement prohibits specific list-building practices including harvesting email addresses from websites and sending to role-based addresses. These prohibitions apply independently of whether the account holder believes the contact has implicitly consented to receive communications.
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"You must not use Mailchimp to send to role-based email addresses (such as info@, sales@, or support@), to send to addresses harvested from websites or other online sources without permission, or to email addresses obtained through dictionary attacks or automated address generation.— Excerpt from Mailchimp's Mailchimp Acceptable Use Policy
1. REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision reinforces CAN-SPAM's prohibition on address harvesting and automated address generation. CASL also prohibits sending to addresses obtained through address harvesting software or dictionary attacks. The FTC and CRTC are the primary enforcement bodies for these practices in the U.S. and Canada respectively. 2. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. Organizations with legacy list-building practices involving web scraping, co-registration without explicit consent, or automated address generation face account enforcement risk under this provision. The prohibition on role-based addresses may affect B2B marketing campaigns that have historically targeted generic organizational addresses. 3. JURISDICTION FLAGS: CASL's express consent requirements and prohibition on address harvesting are particularly relevant for organizations with Canadian contacts. EU organizations should note that GDPR's requirements for freely given, specific, and informed consent are difficult to satisfy through any of the prohibited acquisition methods described in this provision. 4. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: B2B marketing agencies managing lead generation programs should review their contact sourcing practices against this provision. Vendors providing contact data through web scraping, data enrichment, or co-registration programs should be assessed for compliance with these list prohibitions before their data is uploaded to Mailchimp. 5. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should audit list import practices to identify any contact segments sourced through methods that fall within the prohibited categories. Organizations should document the acquisition method for each list segment as part of their consent management records. Legacy lists with unclear sourcing provenance should be reviewed before use on the platform.
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This provision establishes specific prohibited list acquisition and targeting practices beyond the general consent requirement. Under this clause, technically compliant consent practices may still violate the policy if the list sourcing method falls within one of the enumerated prohibited categories.
The agreement prohibits specific list-building practices including harvesting email addresses from websites and sending to role-based addresses. These prohibitions apply independently of whether the account holder believes the contact has implicitly consented to receive communications.
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