Compliance (POPIA, Spam)

Drip CRM is designed to help you stay compliant with global data protection and communication laws, including:

  • POPIA (South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act)

  • GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation in the EU/UK)

  • Spam & Marketing Laws (e.g. CAN-SPAM in the US, EU ePrivacy, etc.)

This page outlines the key rules and best practices for using Drip CRM responsibly.

🇿🇦 POPIA (South Africa)

The Protection of Personal Information Act governs how businesses collect, process, and store personal data.

Key Principles

  • Collect only the data you need for a specific purpose.

  • Get consent before adding someone to campaigns.

  • Store personal information securely.

  • Allow customers to request access, correction, or deletion of their data.

Best Practices in Drip CRM

  • Use tags like “Opted-In” to mark compliant contacts.

  • Keep audit logs of when/where consent was given (e.g. form submissions).

  • Avoid uploading purchased contact lists.

🇪🇺 GDPR (EU/UK)

The General Data Protection Regulation is one of the strictest privacy laws globally. It applies to any business processing EU/UK citizens’ data — even if your business is not located in Europe.

Key Principles

  • Explicit Consent: Users must opt-in (no pre-checked boxes).

  • Data Portability: Users can request a copy of their data.

  • Right to Be Forgotten: Users can request their data be deleted.

  • Transparency: You must explain what data you collect and why.

Best Practices in Drip CRM

  • Use double opt-in for forms to confirm consent.

  • Provide clear unsubscribe links in all emails.

  • Honor data deletion requests promptly via Contacts → Delete Contact.

  • Document your privacy policy and link it on all forms.

📧 Spam & Marketing Laws

Whether you’re in South Africa, Europe, or beyond, most regions enforce laws to prevent unwanted marketing.

Key Principles (Universal)

  • Only send marketing messages to contacts who opted in.

  • Include an unsubscribe link in every email.

  • Clearly identify your business in all communications.

  • Stop messaging immediately if someone unsubscribes.

Drip CRM Tools That Help

  • Unsubscribe links are automatically added to email campaigns.

  • Suppression lists prevent you from accidentally contacting unsubscribed users.

  • Smart Lists can segment out only “opted-in” contacts.

✅ Checklist for Compliance in Drip CRM

  1. ✅ Collect explicit opt-in consent via forms.

  2. ✅ Use double opt-in for EU/UK customers.

  3. ✅ Tag and segment opted-in vs. non-opted-in contacts.

  4. ✅ Keep unsubscribe links enabled in all campaigns.

  5. ✅ Regularly clean your database of inactive or unsubscribed contacts.

  6. ✅ Document your privacy policy and display it on your website and forms.

📌 Example Use Case

A South African gym collects leads through a website form:

  • The form includes a checkbox: “I agree to receive messages about promotions and bookings.”

  • Submissions are automatically tagged as Opted-In.

  • Email campaigns are only sent to contacts with this tag.

  • If a user unsubscribes, they are moved to a suppression list automatically.

🚨 Consequences of Non-Compliance

  • POPIA fines: Up to ZAR 10 million.

  • GDPR fines: Up to €20 million or 4% of global turnover.

  • Spam violations: Blacklisting, domain reputation damage, loss of deliverability.