This document is CTIA’s May 2023 Messaging Principles and Best Practices, a set of voluntary industry guidelines for the U.S. wireless messaging ecosystem that classifies messages as either Consumer (person-to-person) or Non-Consumer (business/organization-to-person), defines roles within the ecosystem (wireless providers, MVNOs, cloud-based providers, aggregators, etc.), establishes best practices for Non-Consumer messaging including consumer consent requirements (implied, express, and express written consent depending on whether messages are conversational, informational, or promotional), opt-in/opt-out procedures, privacy and security standards, content guidelines prohibiting deceptive or harmful content, and rules around short codes, toll-free numbers, proxy numbers, snowshoe messaging, and grey routes, while also outlining principles for unwanted messaging traffic containment and redress mechanisms.
Messaging Principles and Best Practices
May 2023
Messaging Principles and Best Practices MAY 2023
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Table of Contents
1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1
2 SCOPE 2
2.1 Purpose 2
2.2 Wireless Messaging Services 2
2.3 Scope, Limitations, & Disclaimer of Legal Guidance or Advice 3
3 WIRELESS MESSAGING ECOSYSTEM 4
3.1 Background 4
3.2 The Evolving Wireless Messaging Ecosystem 4
3.3 Messaging Ecosystem Roles 5
3.3.1 CONSUMER 5
3.3.2 NON-CONSUMER 5
3.3.3 WIRELESS FACILITIES-BASED SERVICE PROVIDERS (WIRELESS PROVIDERS) 5
3.3.4 MOBILE VIRTUAL NETWORK OPERATORS (MVNOS) 5
3.3.5 CLOUD-BASED PROVIDERS 6
3.3.6 INTER-CARRIER VENDORS (ICVS) 6
3.3.7 CONNECTION AGGREGATORS 6
3.3.8 COMPETITIVE LOCAL EXCHANGE CARRIERS (CLECS) 6
3.3.9 REGISTRARS 6
3.3.10 NETWORK SECURITY VENDORS 6
3.3.11 SERVICE PROVIDERS 6
3.3.12 MESSAGE SENDER OR SENDER 6
4 CONSUMER / NON-CONSUMER TRAFFIC CLASSIFICATION 8
4.1 Consumer Messaging 8
4.1.1 WHAT IS TYPICAL CONSUMER OPERATION? 8
4.1.2 CONSUMER MESSAGING AUTOMATION 9
4.2 Non-Consumer Messaging 9
5 NON-CONSUMER BEST PRACTICES 10
5.1 Consumer Consent 10
5.1.1 MESSAGE SENDERS SHOULD PROVIDE CLEAR AND CONSPICUOUS CALLS-TO-
ACTION 11
5.1.2 CONSUMER OPT-IN 11
5.1.2.1 Confirm Opt-In for Recurring Messages 12
5.1.2.2 Apply One Opt-In per Campaign 13
5.1.3 CONSUMER OPT-OUT 13
5.1.4 RENTING, SELLING, OR SHARING OPT-IN LISTS 13
5.1.5 MAINTAIN AND UPDATE CONSUMER INFORMATION 13
5.2 Privacy and Security 14
Messaging Principles and Best Practices MAY 2023
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5.2.1 MAINTAIN AND CONSPICUOUSLY DISPLAY A CLEAR, EASY-TO-UNDERSTAND
PRIVACY POLICY 14
5.2.2 IMPLEMENT REASONABLE PHYSICAL, ADMINISTRATIVE, AND TECHNICAL SECURITY
CONTROLS TO PROTECT AND SECURE CONSUMER INFORMATION 14
5.2.3 CONDUCT REGULAR SECURITY AUDITS 14
5.3 Content 14
5.3.1 PREVENTION OF UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES OR DECEPTIVE, FRAUDULENT, UNWANTED, OR
ILLICIT CONTENT 14
5.3.2 EMBEDDED WEBSITE LINKS 15
5.3.3 EMBEDDED PHONE NUMBERS 15
5.4 Text-Enabling a Telephone Number for Non-Consumer Messaging 15
5.5 Other Non-Consumer Message Best Practices 15
5.5.1 SHARED TELEPHONE NUMBERS AND SHORT CODES 15
5.5.2 SNOWSHOE MESSAGING 15
5.5.3 GREY ROUTES 16
5.5.4 COMMON SHORT CODES 16
5.5.5 PROXY NUMBERS 16
5.5.6 TEXT-ENABLED TOLL-FREE TELEPHONE NUMBERS 17
5.5.6.1 Authority to Text-Enable Rests with the Toll-Free Voice
Subscriber 17
5.5.6.2 Transparency to Resp Orgs 17
5.5.6.3 Special Considerations for Shared-Use Toll-Free Telephone
Numbers 17
6 SPECIAL USE CASES 19
6.1 Group Messaging 19
6.2 Spoofing Telephone Numbers 19
6.3 Registries 19
7 UNWANTED MESSAGING TRAFFIC THREAT CONTAINMENT 20
7.1 Core Principles 20
7.2 Unwanted Messaging Traffic Containment Best Practices 20
7.2.1.1 Consumer Tools for Blocking or Filtering 20
7.2.1.2 Reporting Unwanted Messaging Traffic 21
7.2.2 COMMUNICATION AMONG SERVICE PROVIDERS 21
7.2.3 BLOCKING UNWANTED MESSAGES AND SENDERS 21
7.2.4 SUSPENDING AND DISCONNECTING UNWANTED MESSAGING TRAFFIC 21
7.2.5 TRANSPARENCY OF TRAFFIC 21
7.2.6 MITIGATING UNWANTED MESSAGE ISSUES 21
7.2.7 NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTER 21
End of Document
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