COI or COIL: Every Opt-In Should Be Confirmed

No, this is not a rant in favor of universal usage of double or confirmed opt-in (COI), although it certainly has its place. I’ve been a long-time supporter of single opt-in as “good enough” for most permissioning scenarios—especially when there’s active consent—and nothing has changed my view on that.

However, risks around opt-ins are rising. Typo spam traps and typos in general pose serious deliverability risks, especially to brands that capture email addresses offline through verbal or handwriting transcription. Several brands have been stung by Spamhaus in recent years because of typo spam traps getting on their email lists through poorly executed in-store email capture.

Marketers’ use of passive consent doesn’t help either, particularly when that consent is buried in the fine print of sweepstakes rules or terms and conditions statements. It’s well established that consumers don’t read these and that including opt-in consents in there provides brands with no protection from spam complaints.

Because of these risks, it seems reasonable to…

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