The suppression list #

This page is for administrators who handle mail requests. No optional mail goes to an address on the suppression list: hard bounces, complaints (marked as spam), "stop all optional e-mail" requests, legal requests, entries made by an administrator, and the newsletter blacklist. Essential mail still goes (Mail preferences for administrators: The suppression list).

Note This page describes features and common practice; it is not legal advice. Check the law that applies to your organization with your legal counsel.

Contents #

1. Privacy by design
2. Managing entries
3. Bounces
4. Retention
5. Related pages

Privacy by design #

Only a salted hash of each address is stored, so the list cannot be read; you find an entry by typing the address. This lets a public body honor "never write to me again" without keeping a readable list of the people who asked.

Managing entries #

Setup > E-mail preferences > Suppression list: Check an address, Add an address (with a reason and a note without personal data), Lift an entry. On the console:

./console exp:mail:suppression check --email=<address> --allow-root-user
./console exp:mail:suppression add --email=<address> --reason=legal --note="<case reference, no personal data>" --allow-root-user
./console exp:mail:suppression list --reason=legal --limit=5 --allow-root-user
./console exp:mail:suppression lift --email=<address> --allow-root-user

A person who stopped all mail themselves lifts their own entry by turning optional mail on again. Entries for bounces, complaints and legal requests stay until an administrator lifts them, and they also stop "send me a link" and confirmation mails.

Bounces #

The bounce reader reads a bounce mailbox set in [BounceSettings] and adds hard bounces automatically; it does nothing until its mailbox is filled in, and the status page shows its last read. Without it, add hard bounces by hand with reason bounce. The newsletter extension (cjw_newsletter 4.2) uses the same reader.

Retention #

Entries are kept forever by default ([SuppressionSettings] RetentionDays=0), because forgetting an entry would mean writing again to someone who asked not to be written to. If your schedule needs a limit, set RetentionDays; the cronjob part mailpreferences applies it.

Related pages #

• Mail preferences for administrators
• One-click unsubscribe
• The right to erasure
• Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.