Do I have to have an 'unregister' button on my users on an email altering application?

Question

Hey guys - I know this is not a strictly programming question but I'm building an application where users sign up to traffic alerts.

I have the whole thing dusted but I haven't got an 'unregister button'

I know its good UI to have one, but I was hoping if someone knew the legalities of the topic?

The user can sign in and uncheck what alerts to receive, but not scrub their details - On the email sent I have an unsubscribe button.

Seeing as this is going to the public, can I turn round to my boss and say "by law we need one" else he might just turn around and try and charge the client, and I don't agree with that for something so rudimentary

Answer 1

Check out CAN-SPAM. One of the requirements for mass email marketing is a one-click unsubscribe button.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mail_marketing

Specifically:

To comply with the Act's regulation of commercial e-mail, services typically require users to authenticate their return address and include a valid physical address, provide a one-click unsubscribe feature, and prohibit importing lists of purchased addresses that may not have given valid permission.