Consent Revocation
Under TCPA, consumers can revoke SMS consent at any time by any reasonable means. Senders must honor the revocation — typically by adding the number to a suppression list — within 10 business days.
Consent revocation is the consumer's right to withdraw a previously given consent to receive marketing SMS. Under the FCC's 2024 rules, revocation can be made by any reasonable means: replying STOP, "unsubscribe", "cancel", an email, a phone call, or a social DM.
Once revoked, the sender must:
- Stop sending marketing SMS to that number within 10 business days (industry expectation is immediate).
- Add the number to a suppression list checked before every send.
- Honor the revocation across all channels covered by that consent.
Failure to honor revocation is the second-largest source of TCPA judgments after missing initial consent.
Related glossary terms
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act is a US federal law (47 U.S.C. § 227) that restricts marketing calls and texts to mobile phones, with statutory damages of $500–$1,500 per violation.
A suppression list is the registry of phone numbers that have revoked consent. Senders must check this list before every outbound send to remain TCPA-compliant.
Express written consent is the TCPA standard for marketing SMS — a clear, conspicuous disclosure with a separate, unchecked affirmative opt-in by the consumer, retained as evidence.