Lists to avoid Advertising (Direct marketing)

The Robinson List

The Robinson lists or Mail Preference Service (MPS) in some countries offers extensive protection from ad mails / shot mails intended for new customers,ensuring that customers get considerably fewer service offers and product news from enterprises they don’t know.

Austria

The so-called Robinson List contains name and address of Austrian people and companies who intend to avoid personally addressed mail. It is operated by the Professional Association and Marketing Communication Industry of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber. Cold calling for commercial purposes is not allowed without the prior consent of the subscriber in Austria.

Useful Websites

https://portal.wko.at/wk/format_detail.wk?angid=1&stid=637979&dstid=335#Robinson_List___E-Mails___Cold_Calling___Faxes

Applicable Legislation

Sect. 107 of the Telecommunication Act, Austrian Federal Law Gazette No. 70/2003 as amended (Telekommunikationsgesetz 2003 – TKG 2003, BGBl. I Nr. 70/2003 as amended by BGBl. I Nr. 133/2005)

Canada

The National Do Not Call List (DNCL) is a list administered by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), that enables Canadian residents to decide whether or not to receive telemarketing calls.

Applicable Legislation

Bill C-37, An Act to amend the Telecommunications Act

Cyprus

The only way for consumers to have their personal details deleted or excluded from direct marketing is by contacting themselves the company in question and requiring such a deletion and/or exclusion.

Greece

The Greek Personal Data Protection Act (Bill No. 2472 of 1997) foresees the existence of a National Registry, in which persons wishing not to be included in lists used by traders for distance promotion/provision/selling of goods and services can be registered. Responsible for keeping this National Registry updated is the Hellenic Data Protection Authority

Useful Websites

https://www.dpa.gr/

Applicable Legislation

Greek Personal Data Protection Act (Bill No. 2472 of 1997)

France

“A consumer can ask his personal details to be deleted by writing to the UFMD at the following address:
Union française du marketing direct
Service Liste Robinson-Stop publicité
60, rue La Bo̩tie Р75008 Paris.
The deletion concerns the member of this Direct Marketing Association. It is also possible to denounce an unsollicited phone call by filling in the online form : https://www.pacitel.fr/signaler_appel_non_desire.php and a spam by registering online (https://www.signal-spam.fr/espace-membre/inscription). To avoid mailboxes advertisment, a consumer can stick the following sticker: https://www.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/Stop_pub_MEDDE_planches_Print.pdf

Applicable Legislation

Loi n°78-17 relative à l’informatique, aux fichiers et aux libertés du 6 janvier 1978

Useful Websites

“https://www.pacitel.fr/signaler_appel_non_desire.php
https://www.signal-spam.fr/espace-membre/inscription
https://www.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/Stop_pub_MEDDE_planches_Print.pdf

The Netherlands

3 lists:
1) the Bel-me-niet register (Do not call me register): https://www.bel-me-niet.nl/
2) the Postfilter (Mail filter): https://www.postfilter.nl/;
3) and https://www.spamklacht.nl/ (Spam complaint) from the Post and Telecommunications Authority.

Malta

“Direct marketing sent by electronic mail (e-mails and sms) is regulated by Article 9 of Subsidiary Legislation 440.1 according to which the data subject is required to give his/her prior written consent to receive direct marketing in electronic format (opt-in) and shall have the right to object to receiving such further communications at any time thereafter. In the case of conventional mail the data subject’s consent is not required prior to the sending of direct marketing material, but he/she may object to the receipt of such communications at any time thereafter.

Advertising material distributed without a name and address (that advertising material which is delivered by hand, does not show the personal details of an addressee and is left in letter boxes or on door steps) does not fall under the provisions of Data Protection Act or its subsidiary legislation.”

Denmark

The Robinson list is administered by the Danish Civil Registration System and is updated on a quarterly basis.

Useful Websites

https://www.cpr.dk/cpr/site.aspx?p=194&ArticleID=4327

New Zealand

The Name Removal Service provides a way for New Zealanders to reduce the amount of junk mail and telemarketing calls they receive. The service is provided voluntarily by the Marketing Association of New Zealand and stops only calls and mail from their members. It is available only to members of the general public, not to businesses or other organisations.

Iceland

The Registers Iceland maintains a registry of individuals who object to their names being used for marketing purposes. Everyone can ask to be in that registry and companies who use direct selling and marketing are obliged to check the registry. Individuals have the right to object to the processing of personal data relating to them which the controller (company etc.) anticipates being processed for the purposes of direct marketing.

Useful Websites

https://www.mcc.is/english/eng-administration/registers-iceland/

Applicable Legislation

Articles 28 (1) and 28 (2) of Act on the Protection of Privacy as regards the Processing of Personal Data, No. 77/2000.

Italy

By registering its name on the Public Register (https://www.registrodelleopposizioni.it/), a citizen chooses not to be contacted for commercial, promotional or for carrying out market research through the use of the phone. Regarding other kinds of direct marketing, the citizen/consumer has to contact companies directly and ask for deleting his personal data from their data base.

Useful Websites

https://www.registrodelleopposizioni.it/

Norway

A consumer can register all relevant telephone numbers through the website https://www.brreg.no/english/ which will exclude contact from traders using direct selling or marketing.

Useful Websites

https://www.brreg.no/english/

Applicable Legislation

Portugal

The System opt-out a system based on the existence of a list. A consumer that doesn’t want to receive advertisement communications, by phone or by post mail, inscribes her/his name in the “Robinson” list.
2/The System opt-in this system concerns unsolicited communications for direct marketing purposes, by means of automated calling and communication systems without human intervention (automatic calling machines), fax or electronic mail. Such communications are allowed only in respect of subscribers or users who have given their prior consent.

Useful Websites

https://www.cnpd.pt/english/index_en.htm

Applicable Legislation

The “Robinson” list was imposed by the Portuguese law nr. 6/99 of January, 27 and the “Associação de Marketing Direto” (Direct Marketing Association). Opt-in system : law 7/2007, of January, 7, modified by the decree law 62/2009 and Law 41/2004, republished in 2012, August 29

Finland

“The self-regulatory organization called ” Asiakkuusmarkkinointiliitto” (Direct Marketing Association – https://www.asml.fi/) manages Robinson registers. The Direct Marketing Association maintains a register of individuals who do not wish to receive addressed direct marketing and a register for refusals of telephone marketing. Addressed direct marketing and telephone sales calls may be refused for 3 years at a time.

The members of the Direct Marketing Association honour the refusals in these registers. Current Finnish member companies are listed on the following website: https://www.asml.fi/asml-yhteiso/jasenyritykset/”https://www.asml.fi/

Germany

The “Robinson list”is managed by the German dialogue marketing association, Deutsche Dialogmarketing Verband e. V. (DDV). The registration to this list can be done for 5 years and for free : by post (https://www.ichhabediewahl.de/corporate/file-14.pdf) or online (https://www.ichhabediewahl.de/?id=122&cid=43). Phone calls, fax and SMS are allowed only if the consumer agreed with (if it was not agreed, the consumer can report to the competent authority : https://www.wettbewerbszentrale.de/de/Beschwerdestelle/Hinweise/). In Germany, the Robinson list was introduced as a voluntary institution of the advertising industry by the Deutscher Dialogmarketing Verband in 1971. In April 2011, the Robinson list includes about 730.000 entries.

Useful Websites

https://www.ichhabediewahl.de/

Slovakia

The Slovak Personal Data Protection Act (Bill No. 428/2002) does not foresee the existence of such a Registry, in which persons wishing not to be included in lists used by traders for distance promotion/provision/selling of goods and services can be registered.

Applicable Legislation

Bill No. 428/2002

Estonia

It is not possible for a consumer to ask Estonian Direct Sales Association (EDSA) to delete his/her personal data as EDSA doesn‘t collect, process and use any personal data of consumers and doesn‘t have access to direct sales companies databases/lists. If a consumer wants to delete his personal data from direct sales company(ies) database(s), he shall refer with this requirement directly to the company(ies).

Belgium

Consumers can register themselves to avoid any commercial sollicitations through the website https://www.robinsonlist.be/. The company must be a member of the BDMA (Belgian Direct Marketing Association). Formular to avoid direct marketing by post:
https://robinsonlist.robinson.be/sites/wrapper_fr.asp?id=2e990099ee990792ee990098ee09e7be33e9cc9e33e8ce9e33e9cc9e23. Formular to avoid direct marketing by phone:
https://robinsonlist.robinson.be/sites/wrapper_fr.asp?id=2e391193ee391698ee391196eea9e62e33e0cc0e33e1ce0e33e0cc0e33.

Regarding direct marketing by email, fax or SMS, the consumer has to contact companies directly and ask for deleting his personal data from their data base.

Useful Websites

https://www.robinsonlist.be/index_fr.htm

Sweden

“The self-regulatory organization “”SWEDMA””manages Robinson registers. The Direct Marketing Association maintains a register of individuals who do not wish to receive addressed direct marketing and a register for refusals of telephone marketing. Addressed direct marketing and telephone sales calls may be refused for 3 years at a time.

The members of the Direct Marketing Association honour the refusals in these registers. Current Swedish member companies are listed on the following website: https://swedma.se/medlemskap/befintliga-medlemmar/.

To avoid advertising, a consumer can call Sema Group Info Data AB (telephone: 08-738 50 00, address: Box 34101, 100 26 Stockholm) or SWEDMA’s Nix register (telephone: 020-55 70 00) and ask to be added to the list of people who do not wish to receive advertising addresses to them. Consumers can also contact directly the company involved.

Regarding unaddressed addvertising, you can attach a sign saying ” Nej tack ingen reklam” (“No thanks no advertising” ) to your letter box.

Concerning telephone sales calls, call 020-27 70 00 and follow the procedure https://www.nix.nu/sparra-privata-telefonnummer.aspx. You can also write to Nix-telephone (Box 14038, 104 40 Stockholm) and request not to receive sales calls (Information in English: https://www.nix.nu/Page110.aspx).

Last but not least, it is forbidden to e-mail advertisements to people who have asked not to receive any such advertisements.”

Useful Websites

https://swedma.se/ ; https://swedma.se/medlemskap/befintliga-medlemmar/ ; https://www.nix.nu/Page110.aspx

Spain

“A specific association called “Asociación Española de Economà­a Digital” manages the “Robinson list” . Consumers can ask this association for being deleted from the list of specific companies who send regularly advertising by e-mail, post or mobile phone.

On the other hand, consumers have not the possibility of being on a list that excludes them from all offers, the request must be related to specific companies.”

Useful Websites

https://www.listarobinson.es/default.asp

See Also

Direct Examination and Harmful Facts
Lists about law
Consumer law concepts
List of Consumer Law Online Journals