Issue with receiving Upwork Events & Webinars: Announcements from Upwork in messages center

[NikolaS]

Some users may experience issues with receiving Upwork Events & Webinars: Announcements from Upwork in Message Center after unsubscribing from emails. The screenshot for reference is below. 

We would like to let you know that we shared your reports with our engineers and they are working as fast as possible to resolve it. We will update this thread once we have more information. 

Edited to update information. 09/12/2023

We would like to let you know that this issue is now resolved.

Thank you for your patience. 

[geri_kol]

I had also asked to be removed from receiving Upwork's webinar spam but keep receiving it anyway. Could it be that Upwork's marketing "gurus" actually think invading freelancers' inboxes with useless spam - that people have repeatedly asked to be excluded from - could potentially work as a marketing strategy? They couldn't possibly be that dim.

[grimesr]

I just got another set.

What do I have to do to get this stopped?

Should we all "spam" this forum or other Upwork area just to get the point across how annoying it is?

Of course I am not encouraging anyone to do that, but it would sure help me feel like the senders might feel the pain.

As an aside, as I am typing, I got interrupted by a popup asking how Upwork is doing. I think Upwork is targeting me.😁

[paulrdespre]

I think I am going to start and write a ticket every time I get a spam message from Upwork...

[geri_kol]

Came back to say I got two more webinar promoting spam messages in my inbox last night at 1:40am local time. This issue has become a huge nuisance for many of us - can we get an official (serious) response from a moderator about how Upwork plans to deal with the problem? 

[joansands]

I keep getting these unwanted notices and it is very annoying to get them in my Messages when that is reserved for clients and prospective clients. Upwork - why can't you get your act together?

[elisa_b]

@Upwork STOP SPAMMING ME! 

I received 3 invitations in the last two days, despite being reassured that my opt-out request was accepted. 

According to EU and US regulations (GDPR, CAN-SPAM Act), every marketing communication should have an "opt-out" option. 

[geri_kol]

Elisa calls attention to an important legislation. By not stopping the webinar invitations spam that so many of us have requested over the past few weeks, Upwork is directly violating the CAN-SPAM Act, which reads:

The CAN-SPAM Act, a law that sets the rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have you stop emailing them, and spells out tough penalties for violations.

Despite its name, the CAN-SPAM Act doesn’t apply just to bulk email. It covers all commercial messages, which the law defines as “any electronic mail message the primary purpose of which is the commercial advertisement or promotion of a commercial product or service,” including email that promotes content on commercial websites.

Source: https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business

Upwork, will this get you to honor our requests to stop spamming or does someone need to file a class action suit for you to get your s*** together?

[motoyen]

I can't reply because they've turned that feature off and everytime I try to leave the room I get an error message. 

Hey Upwork, stop spamming me with your crappy promotions. 

[tlsanders]

You apparently can't. There was a long thread about this a few weeks ago and it turned out the only solution was to request removal from those messages individually. A bunch of us did and were told we'd been removed, and then a week or so ago they started coming again.

[PradeepH]

Hi Anthony,

Thank you for your message. I have shared your request to manually unsubscribe you from our events and marketing communication through Upwork messages. It may take a few weeks though before it takes effect especially if there is communication that is already initiated prior to unsubscribing you.

Thank you,

Pradeep