unsubscribe management

1. The use of automated calling and communication systems without 
human intervention (automatic calling machines), facsimile machines (fax) 
or electronic mail for the purposes of direct marketing may be allowed 
only in respect of subscribers or users who have given their prior consent.

2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1, where a natural or legal person obtains 
from its customers their electronic contact details for electronic mail, 
in the context of the sale of a product or a service, in accordance with 
Directive 95/46/EC, the same natural or legal person may use these electronic 
contact details for direct marketing of its own similar products or services 
provided that customers clearly and distinctly are given the opportunity 
to object, free of charge and in an easy manner, to such use of electronic 
contact details at the time of their collection and on the occasion of each 
message in case the customer has not initially refused such use.

-- Unsolicited communications, extract from Article 13 of Directive 2002/58/EC

This rule, now outdated, is still used as a basis of principle. In short:

1. The recipients must have requested to receive messages
2. The only exception is if they are already a customer, and even then
   they must always be given the option to unsubscribe

Beyond the legal implications, failure to comply with these simple rules essentially leads to being labeled a “spammer.” The damage caused can even lead to the inability to reach even those recipients who wish to receive your communications.

RealSender’s “copymail” app provides a link to an “options” page for unsubscribing from each list,
which the customer can include in email messages. Here’s an example:

After completing the form, the entered address will receive an email
inviting them to click the link to confirm the cancellation:

We have received a request ... for the removal of your email
address, ... from the ... mailing list.  To confirm that you want
to be removed from this mailing list, visit this web page:
(http address for unsubscription confirmation)

This same message is sent to those requesting unsubscription
via the “List-Unsubscribe: …” header, which is automatically inserted into every email sent.

This header allows webmail applications like Gmail to activate the “Unsubscribe” link
directly in the interface, without requiring the user to search for it in the message.

To be notified of all unsubscribes made independently by recipients, it is recommended
to activate the notification feature to the administrator’s email address
from the “General Options” of the list: