> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.foreverfanmusic.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.foreverfanmusic.com/your-audience/compliance-and-consent.md).

# Compliance and Consent

Before you upload a list of fans, they have to have agreed to hear from you. This is the law, not a ForeverFan preference. Data protection rules like GDPR and CCPA require that anyone you market to was clearly told they would receive marketing and gave their clear, affirmative consent. When you upload fans, you are confirming that every one of them meets that bar.

This matters for you as much as for your fans. Sending to people who never opted in gets your messages marked as spam, which hurts everyone you send to.

## What counts as consent

These are fine to upload:

* A list exported from another CRM or email tool where fans gave real marketing consent.
* A signup form with a contact field and an opt-in checkbox for your marketing.
* A signup sheet at a show, as long as there was clear signage or a verbal heads-up that it was a marketing list.
* Anyone you collected through ForeverFan itself. Every ForeverFan signup already includes the consent step, so these fans are always good to go.

## What does not count

These are not consent, and uploading them puts your account at risk:

* Your Gmail or personal phone contacts. Knowing someone is not permission to market to them.
* People who bought a ticket but never opted in to marketing.
* Anyone you assume is fine because you have a relationship with them. Consent has to be given, not guessed.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Uploading fans who did not opt in can get your account suspended while we investigate, and can carry legal consequences. When in doubt, leave them out.
{% endhint %}

## How fans opt out

Consent works both ways. Fans can leave whenever they want, and ForeverFan handles that for you automatically.

* **Email.** Every email you send includes an unsubscribe link. A fan who clicks it stops receiving your emails, and they are dropped from future email recipients on their own.
* **Text.** A fan who replies **STOP** to one of your texts is unsubscribed from your texts. They stay in your audience, but you can no longer text them.