Can I buy a list of El Salvador phone numbers?
Posted: Sun May 25, 2025 7:10 am
Purchasing a list of El Salvador phone numbers for marketing purposes is highly problematic and generally not advisable due to legal, ethical, and practical reasons.
Here's why:
1. El Salvador's Personal Data Protection Law:
El Salvador has recently enacted a new Personal Data Protection Law (effective November 23, 2024). This law is designed to protect individual privacy and ensure that personal data, including phone numbers, is handled legitimately and with informed consent. Key aspects of this law include:
Consent: Data controllers (like marketers) must obtain explicit, free, specific, informed, and individualized consent from individuals before collecting or processing their personal data for marketing purposes. Simply buying a list means you almost certainly do not have this consent.
Purpose Limitation: Data can el-salvador phone number list only be processed for the purposes previously informed to the individual. If a phone number was collected for one purpose (e.g., a customer transaction), it cannot be used for a different, unsolicited marketing purpose without new consent.
Data Minimization: Only data strictly necessary for the established purpose should be collected.
Transparency: Individuals must be clearly informed about how their data will be used.
Rights of Data Subjects: Individuals have rights, including access, rectification, cancellation, opposition, portability, and the right to be forgotten. If you're using a purchased list, it would be extremely difficult to comply with these rights.
Supervisory Authority: The State Cybersecurity Agency (ACE) is responsible for enforcing this law and can impose significant fines for non-compliance, ranging from 10 to 40 minimum wages for minor and serious offenses, respectively.
2. Telemarketing Regulations:
Beyond general data protection, El Salvador also has specific regulations governing telemarketing. These typically require explicit consent before initiating calls and oblige marketers to respect "Do Not Call" requests. Using a purchased list bypasses these essential requirements, exposing your business to legal penalties, including fines and potential revocation of licenses.
Here's why:
1. El Salvador's Personal Data Protection Law:
El Salvador has recently enacted a new Personal Data Protection Law (effective November 23, 2024). This law is designed to protect individual privacy and ensure that personal data, including phone numbers, is handled legitimately and with informed consent. Key aspects of this law include:
Consent: Data controllers (like marketers) must obtain explicit, free, specific, informed, and individualized consent from individuals before collecting or processing their personal data for marketing purposes. Simply buying a list means you almost certainly do not have this consent.
Purpose Limitation: Data can el-salvador phone number list only be processed for the purposes previously informed to the individual. If a phone number was collected for one purpose (e.g., a customer transaction), it cannot be used for a different, unsolicited marketing purpose without new consent.
Data Minimization: Only data strictly necessary for the established purpose should be collected.
Transparency: Individuals must be clearly informed about how their data will be used.
Rights of Data Subjects: Individuals have rights, including access, rectification, cancellation, opposition, portability, and the right to be forgotten. If you're using a purchased list, it would be extremely difficult to comply with these rights.
Supervisory Authority: The State Cybersecurity Agency (ACE) is responsible for enforcing this law and can impose significant fines for non-compliance, ranging from 10 to 40 minimum wages for minor and serious offenses, respectively.
2. Telemarketing Regulations:
Beyond general data protection, El Salvador also has specific regulations governing telemarketing. These typically require explicit consent before initiating calls and oblige marketers to respect "Do Not Call" requests. Using a purchased list bypasses these essential requirements, exposing your business to legal penalties, including fines and potential revocation of licenses.