Glossary Terms

FTC

The FTC, or Federal Trade Commission, is the US agency responsible for consumer protection and enforcing the rules around how businesses advertise and sell. In the email world it enforces CAN-SPAM, so senders who use false headers, hide their address, break their unsubscribe link, or ignore opt-outs can face civil penalties of tens of thousands of dollars per email (the FTC adjusts the exact maximum annually), brought by the FTC or by state attorneys general. The FTC also sets the disclosure rules for paid endorsements and influencer marketing, and publishes guidance such as its .com Disclosures guide for online ads. Its enforcement actions are public, which is why they tend to get noticed.