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SMS Opt-Out Compliance

Solidarity Tech provides two layers of SMS opt-out compliance: automatic opt-out detection for inbound messages and opt-out language enforcement for outbound messages. Together, these ensure your organization stays compliant with 10DLC and TCPA regulations while minimizing the manual work required to manage opt-outs.

Opt-Out Language Enforcement (Outbound)

Organizations can require that all text blasts and textbank initial messages include opt-out instructions before they can be sent. This ensures every first interaction with a contact includes clear language telling them how to opt out.

Enabling the Setting

This feature is off by default and must be explicitly enabled by an administrator at the root organization level.

  1. Go to Settings → Chapter Structure
  2. Click on your root organization
  3. Scroll to the SMS Opt-Out Compliance section
  4. Check "Require opt-out language in text blasts and text banks"
  5. Click Save Organization Details

Once enabled, this applies to all text blasts and textbank initial messages across the entire organization, including all chapters.

How It Works

When the setting is enabled, the text editor will show a real-time indicator in the Message Analysis panel. The system checks whether your message contains the required combination of opt-out keywords. Specifically, the message must include:

  1. At least one action keyword: STOP, END, QUIT, UNSUBSCRIBE, or CANCEL
  2. AND at least one outcome keyword or phrase: END, QUIT, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, OPT OUT, or OPT-OUT

Words like UNSUBSCRIBE, END, QUIT, and CANCEL satisfy both requirements on their own, since they appear in both groups.

Common compliant formats include:

  • "Reply STOP to opt out"
  • "Text STOP to unsubscribe"
  • "STOP = end"
  • "Reply QUIT to opt-out"
  • "Reply CANCEL to end"
  • "Text UNSUBSCRIBE"

Formats that are not sufficient on their own:

  • "Reply STOP" (missing an outcome keyword like "opt out", "end", or "unsubscribe")
  • "STOP = no more" (missing an outcome keyword)

If the message does not contain the required keywords, the system will:

  1. Show a warning in the Message Analysis panel while composing
  2. Display a "Missing Opt-Out Language" error on the blast summary page
  3. Disable the Schedule and Send Now buttons until the content is corrected

For multilingual messages, each language version is validated independently. Spanish messages can use Spanish opt-out keywords such as cancelar, baja, parar, or detener.

💡

This setting only affects text blasts and textbank initial messages. Individual replies from the Text Inbox or the mobile app are not subject to this requirement.

Automatic Opt-Out Detection (Inbound)

Beyond the carrier-level keywords that Twilio enforces automatically, Solidarity Tech includes an expanded automatic opt-out detection system. When someone replies to your chapter's phone number with a message that clearly indicates they want to stop receiving texts, the system automatically revokes their SMS permissions for that chapter.

Carrier-Level Keywords (Handled by Twilio)

These keywords are enforced at the carrier level by Twilio. When someone texts one of these as their entire message, Twilio automatically sends a confirmation response and blocks future messages to that number. The message also reaches Solidarity Tech, where internal SMS permissions are revoked:

Keyword
STOP
UNSUBSCRIBE
END
QUIT
CANCEL
STOPALL

These are case insensitive. "stop", "Stop", and "STOP" all work.

Extended Exact Keywords

In addition to the carrier keywords, Solidarity Tech recognizes the following as opt-outs when sent as the entire message:

Keyword
OPTOUT
REVOKE
REMOVE
ALTO
SPAM

Common misspellings of "stop", "remove", "unsubscribe", and other opt-out words are also recognized (e.g., "stip", "stoo", "romove", "unsuscribe").

Common Opt-Out Phrases

The system also recognizes complete messages that are clearly requesting to be removed, even if they are not a single keyword. Examples include:

  • "Stop texting me"
  • "Please stop"
  • "Remove me from your list"
  • "Take me off your list"
  • "Please unsubscribe"
  • "Don't text me"
  • "Don't text me anymore"
  • "Leave me alone"
  • "No more texts"
  • "Delete my number"
  • "Lose my number"
  • "Wrong number"

Profane opt-out messages are also recognized and processed automatically.

How Pattern Detection Works

For longer messages, the system uses context-aware pattern matching to determine whether the message is genuinely requesting an opt-out. The system is intentionally conservative to avoid false positives. It evaluates:

  • What action is being requested (stop, remove, unsubscribe, delete, etc.)
  • What the action applies to (texting, messaging, contacting, etc.)
  • Who the request is about (the sender themselves vs. someone else)

Messages that are ambiguous or could reasonably be about something other than opting out are not automatically processed. For example:

  • "Please stop by the office" (not an opt-out)
  • "Can you stop calling and text me instead?" (not an opt-out)
  • "Remove me from the list of people going to the meeting" (not an opt-out)
  • "Don't text me at 6am" (time preference, not an opt-out)
  • "Don't call me, text is fine" (channel preference, not an opt-out)

These messages will appear in the Text Inbox for a team member to handle manually.

⚠️

The automatic detection system prioritizes zero false positives. It is better for a genuine opt-out to require manual processing than for a non-opt-out message to incorrectly revoke someone's permissions. If the system is unsure, the message is passed through to the Text Inbox for human review.

What Happens When an Opt-Out Is Detected

When the system detects an opt-out, the following occurs:

  1. SMS Blast and SMS P2P permissions are revoked for that chapter
  2. An activity is logged on their profile
  3. The message is visible in the Text Inbox for reference

For carrier-level keywords (STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, END, QUIT, CANCEL, STOPALL), Twilio also sends a confirmation message: "You have successfully been unsubscribed. You will not receive any more messages from this number. Reply START to resubscribe." For extended keywords and phrase matches, no automatic confirmation is sent, but the permissions are still revoked internally.

To re-enable permissions, the person can text START or UNSTOP at any time.

Best Practices

  1. Enable opt-out language enforcement if your organization sends initial outreach via text blasts or textbanks. It is required by 10DLC for initial contacts.
  2. Keep opt-out instructions short and clear. "Reply STOP to opt out", "STOP = end", or "Text STOP to unsubscribe" are the most common and effective formats.
  3. Include opt-out language in the first message of any new text conversation. Subsequent messages in an ongoing thread do not need it.
  4. Do not manually re-enable permissions for someone who opted out. If they want to resubscribe, they can text START.
  5. Monitor your Text Inbox for messages that may be opt-out requests but were not automatically detected. When in doubt, respect the person's wishes and manually revoke permissions.

For more details on how permissions work at the global and chapter level, see Communication Permissions.

Updated about 2 hours ago