Pizza Hut has been fined $2.5 million by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for sending over 10 million spam marketing messages to customers between January and May 2023. The investigation found that more than 5.94 million of these messages were sent to customers who had not consented or had withdrawn their consent, while a further 4.36 million lacked an unsubscribe option.
ACMA member Samantha Yorke stated that the spam messaging frustrated many customers, some of whom attempted to unsubscribe multiple times but continued to receive messages. She emphasised that spam rules have been in place for over 20 years and that businesses must respect customer rights.
In addition to the fine, Pizza Hut has accepted a three-year court-enforceable undertaking to appoint an independent consultant to oversee compliance with spam rules and report regularly to ACMA. The authority has issued over $15 million in fines for spam violations in the past 18 months, targeting companies including DoorDash, Ticketek, Uber, and Kmart.
