How to legally cancel newsletters: Simple tips for users!

How to legally cancel newsletters: Simple tips for users!

In today's digital world, newsletters are a common way for companies to communicate with their potential and existing customers. While many users value this information, there is also a rapidly growing number of people who want to unsubscribe from unwanted communications. On May 30, 2025 we will report on the options and requirements for unsubscribing from newsletters.

Online users are often faced with the challenge of finding ways to unsubscribe from newsletters. A new development in this area is a helpful tool that allows users to unsubscribe from all of their newsletters with just a few clicks. Gmail users in particular benefit from this functionality. However, the Unroll.me service, which previously offered a comprehensive solution, has remained out of operation in Europe since 2018 due to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). There is currently no free alternative to Unroll.me, and users of other email services have to unsubscribe manually, which is often found to be inconvenient. This information provides GIGA.

Legal requirements for newsletter unsubscriptions

The requirements for unsubscribing from newsletters are clearly regulated. The General Data Protection Regulation, which came into force in 2018, stipulates that subscribers must be able to unsubscribe from newsletters easily and transparently at any time. Companies are obliged to ensure that the unsubscribe process is no more complicated than the registration itself. An unsubscribe link should be clearly visible in every newsletter to prevent legal problems. It must be possible to unsubscribe regardless of support hours, which ensures user-friendly handling. A recommended procedure is the double opt-out, in which users are redirected to a separate page to confirm their opt-out.

Additionally, subscribers have the “right to be forgotten” and can request that their personal data be completely deleted. As part of the classic newsletter unsubscription, the email address is saved as unsubscribed and the personal data is deleted. To ensure that companies meet these requirements, offers Rapidmail a free data protection checklist to help you comply with GDPR requirements.

Overall, unsubscribing from newsletters is an important aspect of the user experience in the digital space. With the right information and tools, subscribers can not only control their preferences, but also benefit from legal data protection requirements. Companies, on the other hand, should ensure that they comply with legal requirements in order to avoid possible legal consequences.