twilio-compliance-traffic

Overview

Compliance failures block sends, get numbers suspended, and expose your customer to legal liability. This skill covers the ongoing rules that apply to live traffic — what you can send, when, and to whom.

Lifecycle: Choose numbers (twilio-numbers-senders) → Register them (twilio-compliance-onboarding) → Follow traffic rules (this skill) → Secure everything (twilio-security-hardening)

For registrations required before traffic works (A2P 10DLC, toll-free verification, WhatsApp/RCS sender approval, voice trust programs), see twilio-compliance-onboarding.

TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act)

Applies to all US voice calls and SMS.

Consent Requirements

Quiet Hours

• 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM in the recipient's local time zone
• Applies to telemarketing and non-emergency calls
• Your application must determine the recipient's time zone — Twilio does not enforce this
• Use twilio-lookup-phone-intelligence to determine carrier/region for time zone inference

Do Not Call

• Maintain an internal Do Not Call list
• Honor opt-outs within 10 business days (best practice: immediately)
• Scrub against the National Do Not Call Registry for telemarketing

GDPR (EU/EEA)

Consent for Communications

Right to Deletion

Applies to ALL data stored by your application via Twilio:

• Call recordings and transcripts
• SMS/messaging logs
• Conversation Memory observations and profiles
• Conversation Intelligence operator results
• Customer profiles in your database

Implementation: Build a deletion endpoint that removes data from all systems. Twilio retains message logs for 400 days — you can delete recordings via API but cannot delete message logs from Twilio's system before the retention window.

Call Recording Consent

• EU calls require explicit consent before recording, or a documented legitimate interest basis
• Play a recording notice at the start of every call: <Say>This call may be recorded for quality assurance.</Say>
• Store consent records with timestamp

PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry)

Never Record Card Numbers

• If recording calls, pause recording during payment:

Python

# Pause recording when customer gives card number
client.calls(call_sid).recordings(recording_sid).update(status="paused")

# Use <Pay> verb instead of collecting card numbers verbally
response = VoiceResponse()
response.pay(
    payment_connector="stripe_connector",
    charge_amount="49.99",
    currency="usd",
    status_callback="https://yourapp.com/pay-status"
)

• Never let an LLM process, log, or repeat card numbers
• Never store card numbers in Conversation Memory observations or Conversation Intelligence transcripts

PCI Mode Warning

PCI Mode is IRREVERSIBLE and account-wide. Once enabled:

• All recordings are encrypted
• Transcript access is restricted
• Cannot be disabled — ever

Recommendation: If you need PCI compliance for one use case, create a separate sub-account. See twilio-account-setup.

HIPAA (Healthcare)

Requirements

• BAA required: Execute a Business Associate Agreement with Twilio before handling PHI
• Recording encryption: Mandatory for any call recording containing PHI
• PHI minimization in TTS: Don't speak full patient details via <Say>. Use minimum necessary information.
• API key rotation: Regular rotation required. See twilio-iam-auth-setup
• Access controls: Restrict who can access recordings and transcripts

Safe Notification Content

FDCPA / Regulation F (Debt Collection)

Requirements

• Mini-Miranda disclosure required on every communication: "This is an attempt to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose."
• Call attempt limits: Max 7 call attempts per debt per 7-day rolling window
• Voicemail: Must include disclosure or use limited-content message (name, phone number, request to call back — no mention of debt)
• SMS consent: Requires separate consent from voice consent
• Time restrictions: Same as TCPA quiet hours (8am-9pm local time)
• Developer responsibility: Twilio does NOT enforce FDCPA limits. Your application must track attempt counts and timing.

Python

# Track call attempts per debt
def can_attempt_call(debt_id, db):
    seven_days_ago = datetime.now() - timedelta(days=7)
    attempts = db.count_attempts(debt_id, since=seven_days_ago)
    return attempts < 7

# Include Mini-Miranda in IVR
response = VoiceResponse()
response.say("This is an attempt to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.")
response.pause(length=1)
response.say("Please press 1 to speak with a representative.")
response.gather(num_digits=1, action="/handle-keypress")

WhatsApp Compliance

Template Requirements

• Outbound messages require pre-approved Message Templates (submitted to Meta, 24-48 hour approval)
• Free-form messages only within 24-hour service window after customer initiates
• Template rejections: vague descriptions, missing variables, promotional language in utility templates

Quality Rating

• WhatsApp enforces quality scoring — too many blocks/reports = rate limited or suspended
• Monitor quality in WhatsApp Manager dashboard
• Opt-in required before sending any WhatsApp messages

Opt-In Best Practices

• Collect WhatsApp-specific consent (separate from SMS consent)
• Clearly state what types of messages will be sent
• Provide easy opt-out (reply STOP)

CAN-SPAM (Email)

• Physical mailing address required in every marketing email
• One-click unsubscribe required (SendGrid handles automatically via List-Unsubscribe header)
• Honor unsubscribe within 10 business days
• Subject line must not be misleading
• "From" address must be accurate

See twilio-sendgrid-email-send for SendGrid-specific compliance features.

SHAKEN/STIR (Caller ID Verification)

Attestation Levels

• Only Level A produces a trusted caller ID display
• Affects answer rates significantly for outbound campaigns
• E.164 formatting required for proper attestation
• Twilio signs outbound calls automatically when you own the number

Consent Management Pattern

Store Consent Records

# Minimum consent record
consent_record = {
    "phone": "+15558675310",
    "channel": "sms",                    # sms, voice, whatsapp, email
    "consent_type": "marketing",         # marketing, transactional, debt_collection
    "consent_method": "web_form",        # web_form, verbal, paper, api
    "consent_timestamp": "2026-04-13T14:30:00Z",
    "consent_source": "checkout_page",   # where consent was collected
    "ip_address": "203.0.113.42",        # for web consent
    "opted_out": False,
    "opt_out_timestamp": None
}

Opt-Out Handling

• Process STOP/CANCEL/UNSUBSCRIBE/END/QUIT keywords immediately
• Messaging Services handle keyword opt-out automatically for SMS
• For voice: maintain your own Do Not Call list
• For WhatsApp: handle via webhook when user blocks
• For email: SendGrid manages suppression lists automatically

CANNOT

• Cannot rely on Twilio to enforce compliance rules — Your application must implement TCPA, GDPR, PCI, and other rules. Twilio provides tools, not enforcement.
• Cannot apply A2P 10DLC registration outside the US — Other countries have their own regimes
• Cannot use public link shorteners (bit.ly, tinyurl, goo.gl, short.io, etc.) — Messages with public short links are categorically filtered by carriers. Use a branded/vanity short domain (e.g., go.yourcompany.com) configured in your Messaging Service. Twilio's shared twil.io domain is not sufficient — you must register your own branded domain in Console under Messaging > Link Shortening.
• Cannot reverse PCI Mode — Irreversible and account-wide once enabled
• Cannot fully clear message logs via GDPR deletion — Twilio retains internal message logs for 400 days regardless of deletion requests
• Cannot assume regulations are static — Compliance requirements change. Verify current regulations before launch.
• Cannot apply this skill's guidance outside US/EU — India TRAI DLT, Brazil LGPD, Australia Spam Act, and other jurisdictions require additional research

Next Steps

• Registration before traffic works: twilio-compliance-onboarding
• WhatsApp sender setup: twilio-whatsapp-manage-senders
• Credential security: twilio-iam-auth-setup
• Account structure for PCI isolation: twilio-account-setup