Citizens have the right not to receive marketing messages or spam. However, many of us often endure advertising harassment, especially over the phone. To avoid this, we recommend that you sign up on an unwanted advertising opt-out list.

Article 23 of Law 3/2018, of December 5, of the Personal Data Protection and Guarantee of Digital Rights, regulates advertising opt-out systems. These consist of general or sector-wide information systems, which have been created to prevent marketing messages or spam being sent to those who have requested ad blocking.

Those people in charge of the opt-out systems must inform the Spanish Data Protection Agency of their creations.

There is currently one sole opt-out system, termed the Robinson List, managed by the Spanish Association of Digital Economy.

Registration on the Robinson List is free and very simple. You fill out a form with your personal data and indicate which ways you do not want to receive advertising such as by post, email or SMS.

The data protection regulations oblige those who wish to send advertising to third parties to consult the opt-out list and to exclude the third parties registered therein from their campaigns.

Registration on the Robinson List is a useful way of avoiding incessant telephone calls from companies to which you have given neither your consent to receive their advertising nor are you a customer of theirs.

Companies with which you have a business relationship, pursuant to the provisions of Law 34/2002, of July 11, of Services of the Information Society and Electronic Commerce, may send you electronic advertisements for their products as long as they have obtained your personal data in a licit way and the advertising you receive concerns products similar to those you have already procured.

For this reason, our recommendation to prevent you from receiving unwanted advertising is to enrol on the Robinson List. In cases in which advertising is sent to you from companies with whom you are a customer, you should notify them of your refusal to receive their advertising, exercising your right of opposition to the processing of your data for the aforementioned purposes.

In addition, if you do not want the company, which is sending you advertising, to keep your personal data for their own purposes, then you can exercise the right of cancellation.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.