Since August 11, 2026, individuals in France must give their explicit consent before a company can call them on the phone. This new rule has changed how businesses handle commercial practices, particularly when a customer gives a close person’s phone number to a company without that person’s approval. The change comes after the end of Bloctel, a service that previously helped manage such communications. According to the French data protection authority, CNIL, companies must now clearly state their identity and the purpose of the call, and they must keep records of this consent for at least three years. Many companies used a practice called "sponsorship" to attract new customers. For example, a customer might give a company the number of a close friend in exchange for a reward, and the company would then call that person without their consent. However, under the new rules, such sponsorship does not count as valid consent. According to European data protection regulations, consent must be freely given, specific, and informed. This means the person being called must personally agree to be contacted, and the sponsor cannot give consent on their behalf. Before this reform, the CNIL required companies to inform the person whose number was used and allow them to refuse. Now, companies must get direct agreement before making the call. Consent given for one purpose doesn’t automatically apply to another. If a company wants to call someone, it must obtain that person’s consent directly, not the sponsor’s. There are two exceptions: if the person explicitly agrees or if there is an existing contract with the company. Sponsorship doesn’t fall into either of these categories. Sponsorship remains a legal and valid practice, but the person being contacted now has to take control of their own information. Personal recommendations or word-of-mouth between friends are still allowed, but companies can no longer use a sponsor’s provided number as a direct authorization to call someone else. In this new system, the sponsor can share an invitation to an offer through SMS, email, or in person, without giving the company the number of the person they are trying to reach. This invitation is a private exchange, and the person being contacted then decides whether to respond. Only after that can the company collect their consent directly. Companies must also change how they evaluate their sponsorship programs. A contact is only counted if the person being called has given their consent. For several years, email and SMS marketing have required prior, specific, and informed consent, just like phone calls. No company can use a database of numbers provided by customers without proof of consent for each contact. The DGCCRF, France’s consumer protection agency, is responsible for ensuring compliance. Companies that fail to follow these rules could face fines of up to 500,000 euros, and their managers could be sentenced to up to five years in prison.