Why "Reply STOP" Is No Longer TCPA Compliant

"Reply STOP to opt out" - FCC Says Not Good Enough

For years, businesses have relied on the simple "Reply STOP to opt out" method to maintain TCPA compliance. But with new regulatory updates, that's no longer enough.

The FCC has clarified that consumers can revoke consent through any reasonable method—not just with specific keywords like "STOP" or "UNSUBSCRIBE"

This means that when someone replies to your texts with messages like:

"Please don't contact me anymore."
"Take me off your list."
"I don't want any more messages."

...these are all valid opt-outs. Ignoring these because they don't match a specific keyword exposes businesses to real legal risk.

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What Rule? When Does It Go Into Effect?

The TCPA Consent Order adopted by the FCC on February 15, 2024, and formally announced on October 11, 2024, provides new rules to make it easier for consumers to revoke consent for unwanted robocalls and robotexts. The new rules go into effect on April 11, 2025.

After this date, relying solely on keyword-based opt-out systems like "Reply STOP to opt-out" will not be sufficient. Violating the new rules can result in fines of up to $1,500 per message and could lead to a class-action lawsuit.

Key points:

• Consumers may revoke consent in any reasonable manner that clearly expresses their desire to opt out.
• Opt-out requests must be honored if a reasonable person would understand the request to be a consent revocation.
• Must be processed as soon as practicable, and no later than 10 business days after receipt.

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What Can Be Done

Most existing opt-out systems are built to identify keywords. Messaging services like Twilio will automatically unsubscribe consumers, but again only based on specific keywords being present in text messages like "STOP" or "UNSUBSCRIBE".

With the new, broader standard for revoking consent, businesses have two paths to compliance:

1️⃣ Manual Review Process

• Assign staff to monitor and review all inbound messages and calls for opt-out intent.
• Future messages should not be sent until a message is marked reviewed.
• Ensure opt-out requests are processed within 10 business days.
• Maintain clear documentation and logs of all revocations.

Challenges: Manual review can be time-consuming, inconsistent, and difficult to scale as message volume grows.

2️⃣ Automated Systems

• Deploy an AI-powered solution like OptOut AI to automatically scan inbound messages and detect opt-out requests
• Integrate the solution into your existing workflows and CRM so the opt-out requests can be processed in real-time so no additional messages are sent.

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If you have any questions about the new TCPA rules or how to integrate an automated solution, feel free to ask us at [email protected]