Consent to Receive Messaging Collected From the Consumer

Last Updated: September 16, 2025

Overview

The Flock Together plugin features an "In-Flight" onboarding system that allows an administrator to invite a new team member to provide their profile information (biography and photos) via a conversational SMS interface. This enhanced workflow is designed to be compliant with regulations such as TCPA and GDPR by requiring explicit, informed consent.

The Opt-In Process

  1. Administrator Pre-Notification & Confirmation: A WordPress administrator, who is a trusted user, initiates the process. Before entering any information, the administrator is required to confirm that they have already notified the team member that they will be receiving an SMS for this purpose. This is done via a mandatory checkbox in the user interface.
  2. Administrator Initiation: After confirming the pre-notification, the administrator enters the team member's name, title, and mobile phone number.
  3. Initial SMS Invitation & Explicit Opt-In: The system sends a detailed initial SMS message. This message requires an explicit action from the team member to opt in:
    "Hi [Team Member's Name], welcome! To set up your team profile via SMS, please reply YES. For details on how your data is protected, see our privacy policy. Reply FLY AWAY to opt out. Standard messaging rates may apply."
  4. Consent Confirmation: The conversational AI waits for the team member to reply "YES." Only after receiving this explicit consent will the system proceed with the data collection conversation. Any other reply will not start the process.

Opt-Out and Data Deletion

Consent can be revoked easily at any point:

  1. Keyword Opt-Out: The team member can reply with the phrase "FLY AWAY" at any time.
  2. Confirmation and Deletion:
    • Upon receiving the opt-out keyword, the system immediately sends a final confirmation message:
      "You have successfully opted out. Your data has been deleted, and you will receive no further messages."
    • Simultaneously, all data associated with the user (phone number, conversation history, photos) is purged from the system.

Audit Trail

All consent actions, including the administrator's pre-notification confirmation, the initial SMS sent, the team member's "YES" reply, and any opt-out actions, are logged with a timestamp in a secure, encrypted audit trail to ensure full compliance and legal protection.