Imagine that you have just bought a new telephone line. You are delighted with it and you have given your phone only to the people you love. But, suddenly, a number that you do not have in the phonebook calls you. You answer and it's advertising. Then another. And other. And other… Are you sick of calls trying to sell you or scam you? Do you know what the Robinson List is?
If you have heard of it but have not yet delved into the benefits that you can get with it, after this guide you will surely think better. Go for it?
What is the Robinson List
If we asked you what the Robinson List is, would you know how to answer? Most people do, but they do not have all the data that must be considered within the concept of it.
To make it easy for you to understand, the Robinson List is a free service for which you request the exclusion of advertising in Spain, both by telephone (landline and/or mobile), by postal mail and also by email.
It is managed by the Spanish Association of Digital Economy (ADIGITAL) and the Marketing Association of Spain (MKT) and collects the data of those people who do not wish to receive advertising communications.
Being on this list, as we told you before, is free, as well as voluntary. However, if you are on the list and wonder why they keep calling you despite this, it is only applicable to companies that operate in Spain and those who have signed the commitment to respect the list. If they haven't, they wouldn't be breaking the rules and could still call you even if you consider it harassing advertising or that your privacy is not being protected.
The list is also regulated through Organic Law 3/2018, Protection of Personal Data: Law 58/2003, General Taxation; or the General Data Protection Regulation (RGPD).
Since when is the Robinson List active?
The Robinson List began operating in Spain in 1993 and was basically focused on preventing people from receiving advertising in their postal mail. However, with the massive arrival of the Internet in homes, as well as mobile phones, it expanded its services to protect the privacy of those on the list.
The company that manages this list is Adigital, the Spanish Association of the Digital Economy, although the truth is that, for now, being on that list or not does not make much difference. You see, the fact that you subscribe to the list and put all the telephone numbers, emails and postal addresses that you have does not prevent you from receiving advertising overnight. In reality, companies are required to review that list (as long as they have signed to respect it and operate in Spain) once a month. If after a while they continue to send you advertising, being on the list you do have the possibility of reporting that company to the Spanish Agency for Data Protection (AEPD). The problem is that many do not do it, either due to ignorance, or because it means having to deal with knowing where to report, what to do, etc.
How to join the Robinson List
While all of the above may discourage you from making this list, you also lose nothing by doing so.
Therefore, We leave you here what are the steps so you can sign up:
- Go to the Robinson List page.
- In it you will see a button at the beginning that says "Sign up for the list". Go ahead.
- The web will go down a bit so you can choose if you want to sign up yourself (as long as you are over 14 years old) or it is someone else.
- If you point out that it's yourself, you will have a form to fill out with the ID, name and surname, date of birth, email, password (a new one for this list, not the one in your mail). Click on the "Sign up" button and all the data will be saved.
- Once everything is complete, they will send you an email to activate the account and, the moment you click on the link in that email, it will take you to the web, already logged in, and to be able to choose where you do not want to receive advertising, be it postal mail, email, telephone, SMS/MMS or specific sectors.
- In the event that you want to sign up another person, before this you must be registered on the Robinson List. Otherwise, it won't let you do anything.
Exceptions to the Robinson List
As we have told you before, The Robinson List is not infallible because it only affects companies that have decided to respect it. The rest would be exempt. But those companies with which you already have a previous commercial relationship are also exempt, that is, with which a purchase has been made or information has been requested in the last six months.
This is because the previous commercial relationship implies an implicit consent for the sending of advertising, as long as the advertising is related to the products or services that the person has previously acquired or requested information. However, Companies are obliged to always offer the possibility of unsubscribing from receiving advertising in each of the emails they send.
In addition, The Robinson List also does not apply to communications related to public services, such as those of banking or electricity entities, since these companies have the legal obligation to inform customers about matters relevant to their contractual relationship.
How to report a violation of the Robinson List
Imagine that you have been enrolled in the Robinson List for some time and you continue to receive unwanted advertising. Just by being registered in it you have the right to denounce. To do this, it is done through the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD).
And what are the steps? We explain them to you:
- Gather the documentation: Try to collect as much information as possible: emails, a description of the phone call with date, time, even duration, name of the company that sends the advertisement... Also add the date since you signed up for the Robinson List.
- Submit the complaint to the AEPD: The complaint can be filed through the AEPD website, where you must fill out a form with the requested information and attach the documentation collected. The complaint can also be filed by post or in person at the AEPD offices.
- Follow the procedure: Once the complaint has been filed, the AEPD initiates an investigation procedure to verify whether there has been a breach. If this has been the case, the responsible company can be sanctioned with economic fines.
Is it clearer to you what the Robinson List is and what use it can be for you to be on it?