Email Privacy Laws: GDPR, CCPA, and Your Rights Explained

Right to be informed — companies must tell you how they'll use your email before collecting it. Right of access — you can request all data a company holds about your email address. Right to rectification — you can correct inaccurate data linked to your email. Right to erasure (right to be forgotten) — you can request permanent deletion of your email and associated data. Right to restrict processing — you can limit how companies use your email. Right to data portability — you can request your data in a machine-readable format. Right to object — you can opt out of marketing emails and data processing for advertising.

Under GDPR, companies must obtain explicit, informed consent before adding your email to marketing lists. Pre-checked boxes are illegal. Consent must be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous. Companies must also make it as easy to withdraw consent as it was to give it — meaning unsubscribe links must work immediately and without requiring you to log in.

Right to know — you can request what personal information a company has collected about you. Right to delete — you can request deletion of your personal information. Right to opt out of sale — you can tell companies not to sell your email address or personal data. Right to non-discrimination — companies can't penalise you for exercising your privacy rights. Right to correct — you can request correction of inaccurate personal information. Right to limit use of sensitive personal information.