Unsubscribes and compliance
How opt-outs are handled, and what you're responsible for under GDPR and CAN-SPAM.
On this page
Automatic unsubscribe links
Every campaign email includes an unsubscribe link. It is added automatically, it is signed so it cannot be forged or used to opt out someone else, and it works without the recipient logging in to anything.
Do not build your own instead. A one-click link that works immediately is what regulators and mailbox providers both expect.
What happens on unsubscribe
The address is suppressed for your entire workspace, immediately. Every future campaign skips it — no per-list bookkeeping, no chance of it slipping back in through a different segment.
Support replies are unaffected. Someone who unsubscribes from marketing still gets an answer when they email you, which is both correct and legally required.
Your responsibilities
Kognit provides the mechanism. Lawful sending is yours.
Consent. Only send marketing to people who agreed to receive it. Pre-ticked boxes are not consent in the EU or UK. Purchased lists are never consent.
Identification. Marketing email must identify the sender and include a valid physical postal address in most jurisdictions. Put it in your template.
Honour opt-outs promptly. Kognit does this instantly, but if you also export contacts to another tool, you are responsible for suppression there too.
Keep records. Be able to show when and how someone consented.
GDPR specifics
| Right | How to handle it |
|---|---|
| Access | Export the contact's data from their contact record |
| Erasure | Delete the contact and their tickets |
| Rectification | Edit the contact record directly |
| Objection | Unsubscribe them; stop marketing immediately |
Deleting a contact removes their personal data from your workspace. Deletion is permanent — export first if you need a record.
See Data and privacy.
Transactional vs marketing
The distinction matters legally, and the test is the message's purpose, not its content.
| Type | Example | Needs consent? |
|---|---|---|
| Transactional | Reply to a support ticket, order confirmation | No |
| Marketing | Newsletter, promotion, cart recovery | Yes |
Cart recovery is marketing in most jurisdictions, even though it references a real action the customer took. Treat it as requiring consent.