10 Ironclad Rules for Marketing SMS in Israel (Anti-Spam Law and Regulation)

Without scaring you — but you have to know

Every time someone asks us "can I just send SMS to everyone?" — the answer is no. Big no. Israel has some of the strictest regulation in the world on direct messaging, and businesses that break the law risk fines of up to ₪1,000,000.

Here's what you have to know — in plain language, without legalese.

Communications Law (Bezeq and Broadcasting), 5742-1982 — Section 30a

This is the Israeli "anti-spam law." It sets a simple principle: you may not send a commercial message without the recipient's express consent.

Rule 1: Consent must be explicit

It's not enough that someone gave you their number. They have to explicitly agree to receive marketing messages. "I gave you my number so you could call me about my order" ≠ "I agree to receive deals via SMS."

What to do: Add a separate checkbox in forms: "I consent to receive marketing messages via SMS from [business]." The checkbox has to be unchecked by default.

Rule 2: Opt-out must be allowed

Every marketing message must include an opt-out option. In practice, add "To unsubscribe reply STOP" or an opt-out link in every message.

And what's important: when someone asks to opt out, it must be processed within 3 business days. Not "we're handling it," not "we'll update soon" — within 3 days.

Rule 3: Sender identification

The message has to include the business or advertiser name. "Anonymous" messages where it's unclear who sent them are prohibited.

Rule 4: Hours of sending

There's no specific law forbidding sending at certain hours, but — note — sending an SMS at 2 AM will likely be considered a "reasonableness" violation. Our recommendation: 08:00–21:00 on weekdays, not on Shabbat, not on holidays.

Rule 5: Truthful content

What's written in the message must be true. "70% off!!!" when the discount is 10% with conditions? That's deception. Consumer protection law, anti-spam law, and maybe competition law — all three apply.

Rule 6: Keep evidence

Keep records of the consents you received. If someone complains they didn't consent, you have to prove they did. Keep logs of: when consent was given, via which channel, and the exact wording they consented to.

Rule 7: Bought lists = trouble

Bought a list of 10,000 phone numbers from someone? Don't send SMS to them. Even if the seller says "everyone consented." Consent has to be to your business, not to another business that sold you the list.

Rule 8: Existing customers — there's an exemption

One important exception: if someone is already your customer (bought a product or service), you're allowed to send them messages about similar products — even without additional explicit consent. But opt-out must still be enabled.

Note: "similar products." A customer who bought shampoo — you can send them about conditioner. You can't send them about car insurance.

Rule 9: The fines

Fines up to ₪1,000,000 for a corporation and up to ₪500,000 for an individual. Additionally, every recipient who got spam can sue for up to ₪1,000 in damages without having to prove harm. If you sent to 5,000 people without consent… do the math.

Rule 10: GDPR — also relevant

If you have customers in Europe (or Israelis with European citizenship), GDPR applies to you too. It adds another layer of requirements: right to be forgotten, data portability, and more.

Practical checklist before running a campaign

✅ I have explicit consent from all recipients

✅ The message includes the business name

✅ The message includes an opt-out option

✅ The content is truthful and not misleading

✅ Send is at reasonable hours

✅ I have documentation of the consents

✅ I cleaned everyone who asked to opt out from the list

✅ The list wasn't purchased/borrowed from another business

How Vibrate helps you stay compliant

In Vibrate's system, opt-out is automatic — someone sends "STOP," the number is blocked instantly. There's a full audit log of every message, built-in consent management, and the system won't allow sending to blacklisted numbers. So you send with peace of mind. Sign up free.