Before you upload
The pre-upload checklist.
Two minutes. This is the part that protects the people in your list, and it is the attestation you make before anything is read.
Tick each one honestly
- These contacts came from my own business's relationships: people who enquired, asked for a quote, booked, or bought. Nothing was bought, rented, scraped or borrowed.
- I am authorised to upload this file on behalf of the business.
- I removed staff, suppliers, applicants, contractors and personal contacts as far as I can.
- I removed notes, comments, postal addresses, amounts, card numbers, passwords and identity documents.
- I removed health, family and other personal details, and anything about children.
- I kept opt-out, unsubscribe and bounce columns, because they are evidence the audit needs.
- The first row holds column names and no column name contains a person's name.
- I know which country these contacts are in and can say how I know.
- I know the Desk cannot verify that every record is mine, and that automated screening cannot guarantee it catches every sensitive item.
Why each line matters
Own relationships only. The terms require it, and the Desk assumes it: a bought list has no relationship behind it, and an import like that is held for review rather than worked.
Fewer columns. Every column you delete is a column that cannot leak, cannot be misread, and does not have to be deleted later. Only the email is required.
Evidence columns. An unsubscribe column is what lets the Desk set an opt-out aside instead of treating that person as an ordinary contact. Keep it.
Sensitive data. Remove card numbers, credentials, health details and information about children before uploading. Do not rely on automated checks to detect every sensitive item.
Country. The Desk never guesses where people are from their addresses or domains. You say, and you say how you know.