News

Commonwealth Bank Fined For Spamming Its Customers With Emails

The Commonwealth Bank has paid the largest fine imposed by the communications regulator for spamming customers with 65 million emails and making it difficult to unsubscribe.

A $3.55 million fine was imposed on the bank for breaching spam laws under the Spam Act which came into effect in April 2021 which required marketers to allow users to unsubscribe from emails without needing to log in.

Stay up-to-date on the latest news with The National Briefing – keeping you in the loop with news as it hits:

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) warned the Commonwealth Bank several times to change its practices but failed to do so.

More than 61 million of the emails sent unlawfully required customers to log in to unsubscribe from emails.

Most of the breaches occurred in November 2021 after the bank updated its electronic banking terms and conditions.

It took out language it had been using in communications to exempt itself from the Spam Act changes while in the process of creating a direct unsubscribe link.

In 13 messages templates which were sent to four million customers, the unsubscribe link was broken.

“The scale and duration of the breaches by the CBA is alarming, especially when the ACMA gave it early warnings it might have some issues and the steps it took were ineffective,” ACMA’s chair Nerida O’Loughlin said.

“The failure to fix the issues shows a complete disregard for the spam rules and the rights of its customers.”

The Commonwealth Bank accepted the findings and apologised for its error.

“Since reporting this matter to ACMA, we’ve fixed the issues that were the subject of ACMA’s investigation, and strengthened our systems, processes and controls to support ongoing compliance,” executive marketing and corporate affairs Monique Macleod said.

Subscribe to The Briefing, Australia’s fastest-growing news podcast on Listnr today. The Briefing serves up the latest news headlines and a deep dive into a topic affecting you. All in under 20 minutes.

Tricia Mifsud

Recent Posts

Hawks Debutant Calsher Dear & His Mum Cherie Join Triple M From The Rooms

Calsher Dear and his mum Cherie joined Triple M from the rooms after a remarkable…

42 mins ago

Triple M’s Call Of Calsher Dear’s First AFL Goal

Calsher Deal produced a magical moment in the first term on Sunday, kicking truly to…

5 hours ago

“With The Video Evidence You Almost Can’t Accept The Wrong Decision!” Jimmy On Bunker Blunders

The NRL bunker is back in the headlines after another weekend of inconsistent and flat…

8 hours ago

Stevie J Backs In Tom Hawkins Despite Goalless Form Slump

Steve Johnson believes there's no concern for Tom Hawkins and Geelong, despite the key forward…

9 hours ago

“Maybe The Board At Parramatta Don’t Want Someone As Influential As Wayne” | Girds On Parra Passing On Wayne

Parramatta are sticking solid behind embattled coach Brad Arthur, despite Wayne Bennett reportedly showing interest…

1 day ago

Isaac Smith Brings Us ‘The Issie Quizzie’ On His Saturday Rub Debut

Joining the team on The Saturday Rub for the first time, Isaac Smith took control…

1 day ago