Compliant Contact Import

How to Design Secure, Lawful Contact-Import Workflows

Contact import features are essential for crowdfunding platforms—they help creators quickly reach their networks and drive early campaign momentum. However, these features carry major privacy risks if mishandled, potentially exposing your platform to regulatory scrutiny and damaging user trust.

Smart, privacy-first import workflows protect users, their contacts, and your platform from these risks while still enabling effective campaign promotion. By implementing proper safeguards, you can create contact import features that respect privacy while delivering a seamless user experience.

This article shows how to design compliant, secure contact-import systems from OAuth scopes to data retention, ensuring your platform handles contact data responsibly at every step of the process.

Foundation

Part of:
Privacy Compliance Playbook for Crowdfunding Platforms

Supporting reads:

• Minimize Contact Exposure – Limiting data collection and retention
• Privacy by Design – Building privacy into your architecture
• Consent and Transparency in the Invitation Process – Implementing proper consent mechanisms

What a Contact Import Feature Typically Does

Contact import features involve several distinct steps, each with its own privacy implications:

Step	Description	Risk	Compliance Requirement
Access user’s address book	Connect to email/contacts API	Triggers data processing duties	Requires proper authentication and consent
Import selected contacts	Transfer contact data to platform	Must minimize fields collected	Implement data minimization principles
Match contacts or send invites	Process data for specific purpose	Must have clear lawful basis	Obtain appropriate consent for each action
Retain or delete imported data	Manage data lifecycle	Must respect purpose limitation	Implement appropriate retention policies

Understanding these steps and their associated risks is essential for designing compliant contact import features. Each step requires careful consideration of privacy implications and appropriate safeguards.

Design Principles for Privacy-First Contact Import

Here are six essential principles for creating contact import features that respect privacy while still enabling effective campaign promotion:

1. Use OAuth and Limit Scopes

Implement secure authentication with appropriate scope limitations:

• Authenticate with official OAuth providers (Google, Microsoft, Apple)
• Request only the minimum necessary scopes (e.g., read-only email addresses)
• Use the most restrictive scope that still enables your feature
• Clearly explain what access you’re requesting and why
• Implement proper error handling for authentication failures

Example implementation:

// Example OAuth scope for Google Contacts
// Note the .readonly suffix and limited fields
const GOOGLE_CONTACTS_SCOPE = 'https://www.googleapis.com/auth/contacts.readonly';

// Request only basic profile and contacts.readonly
function initiateOAuthFlow() {
  const authUrl = `https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth?
    client_id=${CLIENT_ID}&
    redirect_uri=${REDIRECT_URI}&
    scope=${GOOGLE_CONTACTS_SCOPE}&
    response_type=code&
    access_type=offline`;

  window.location.href = authUrl;
}

This approach not only improves security but also builds trust by demonstrating respect for user data. By requesting minimal access, you reduce both the risk of data exposure and the likelihood of users declining the connection.

2. Collect Only Necessary Fields

Implement strict data minimization for contact imports:

Necessary	Unnecessary	Rationale
Email address	Birthday	Email is sufficient for invitations
Name (optional)	Notes, address	Name helps personalize messages but isn’t required
Phone (if SMS invites)	Photos	Phone only needed for specific messaging channels
	Job title, organization	Professional details irrelevant for most crowdfunding
	Social profiles	Additional contact methods create more compliance burden

Example implementation:

// Example contact filtering function
function filterContactFields(contacts) {
  return contacts.map(contact => ({
    email: contact.email,
    name: contact.name || '',
    // No other fields included
  }));
}

This approach not only reduces compliance risk but also limits potential exposure in case of a data breach. By collecting only what’s necessary for the specific purpose, you demonstrate respect for privacy while simplifying your compliance obligations.

3. Manual Selection, No “Invite All”

Design interfaces that encourage thoughtful contact selection:

• Show imported contacts clearly with visual distinction between selected/unselected
• Default to zero contacts selected (no pre-checking)
• Let users manually pick recipients individually
• Provide search and filtering tools to help users find relevant contacts
• Avoid “Select All” buttons that encourage over-sharing
• Consider implementing contact categories or tags to help users manage larger contact lists

Example UI text:

“Select which friends you want to invite to your campaign. Only the contacts you choose will be processed.”

This approach respects user agency while also reducing your data processing footprint. When users make deliberate choices about which contacts to share, they’re more likely to share only with people who would welcome the invitation.

4. Clear Consent Flow

Implement proper consent mechanisms at each stage of the import process:

• Before accessing contacts:

  [ ] I agree to connect my address book to import contacts.

• Before matching or sending invites:

  [ ] I agree to import and match my selected contacts to help share my campaign.

• Make consent specific to each action (importing, matching, sending)

• Ensure consent is freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous

• Document consent for compliance purposes

• Allow users to withdraw consent and delete imported contacts

This approach not only satisfies regulatory requirements but also builds trust with users by being upfront about how their contacts’ data will be handled.

For more detailed guidance on implementing valid consent mechanisms, see: The Consent Playbook

5. Minimize Retention

Implement appropriate data retention policies for different types of contact data:

Data Type	Retention Policy	Implementation Guidance
Unmatched contacts	Delete immediately or after 24 hours	Implement automatic deletion process
Matched contacts (for invites)	Retain only if user chooses to send invites	Delete after sending or if user cancels
Suppressed invitees	Store hashed data only	Use cryptographic hashing to protect privacy
Invitation logs	Retain for limited period (30-60 days)	Store minimal information for troubleshooting

Example implementation:

-- Example retention policy implementation
DELETE FROM imported_contacts 
WHERE status = 'unmatched' 
AND created_at < NOW() - INTERVAL '24 hours';

-- Store only hashed emails for suppression
INSERT INTO suppression_list (email_hash, created_at)
VALUES (SHA256(email), NOW());

This approach balances operational needs with privacy principles. By retaining only what’s necessary for specific, documented purposes, you demonstrate respect for privacy while simplifying your compliance obligations.

6. Secure Data Transmission and Storage

Implement appropriate security measures for contact data:

• Use HTTPS for all contact data transfers
• Encrypt stored invite logs and suppression hashes
• Implement access controls to limit who can view contact data
• Log access to contact data for audit purposes
• Regularly test security measures to ensure effectiveness
• Create incident response plans for potential data breaches

These security measures not only protect against unauthorized access but also demonstrate your commitment to safeguarding personal data. By implementing appropriate technical and organizational measures, you fulfill your obligations as a data controller while building trust with users.

Real-World Example: Dropbox’s Contact Import Correction

Dropbox provides an instructive case study in the evolution of contact import features. After facing complaints about aggressive auto-invite behavior, Dropbox updated its invite system to:

• Require explicit selection before sending invitations
• Show message previews so users understand what will be sent
• Clarify how imported contact data would be handled
• Provide clearer opt-out mechanisms for recipients
• Implement stricter data retention policies

These changes came in response to user feedback and increased regulatory scrutiny. By making these improvements, Dropbox not only reduced compliance risk but also improved user trust and satisfaction.

The key lesson: Transparency and control prevent complaints and rebuild trust. By giving users visibility into and control over the contact import process, platforms can create more sustainable, trust-based growth mechanisms. (Source)

Global Rules for Contact Import

Different privacy laws have specific implications for contact import features:

Region	Key Requirements	Implementation Guidance
GDPR (EU/UK)	Data minimization, transparency, lawful basis	Collect only necessary data; provide clear information; obtain valid consent
PECR (EU/UK)	Prior opt-in for electronic marketing	Ensure explicit consent before sending marketing communications
CASL (Canada)	Express consent for messages	Obtain explicit permission before sending; clearly identify the sender
CAN-SPAM (USA)	Opt-out option required	Include clear, functional opt-out mechanism in all communications
CPRA (California)	Disclosure if data sharing occurs	Provide notice at collection; implement opt-out mechanisms
LGPD (Brazil)	Similar to GDPR approach	Focus on data minimization, consent, and transparency

Understanding these different regulatory approaches is essential for designing compliant contact import features, especially if your platform serves users in multiple jurisdictions.

Contact Import Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Certain practices in contact import features create significant legal and reputational risks:

Anti-Pattern	Risk	Better Alternative
Auto-selecting all imported contacts	Coerces consent; encourages over-sharing	Default to no contacts selected; require manual selection
Collecting birthdays, notes, addresses	Violates data minimization; increases breach risk	Collect only email and optionally name
Retaining full contact lists for analytics	Secondary use violation; purpose limitation breach	Delete unused contacts promptly; anonymize data for analytics
Pre-sending invites without review	Breaches marketing laws; damages user trust	Show preview and require confirmation before sending
Hiding how contacts will be used	Transparency violation; undermines consent	Clearly explain data usage at each step
Requiring contact access for core functionality	Creates coercive consent; violates GDPR	Make contact features optional, not mandatory

Avoiding these anti-patterns not only helps with compliance but also builds a more sustainable, trust-based relationship with your users and their contacts.

Summary: Good Contact Import UX Protects Everyone

Implementing privacy-first contact import isn’t just about compliance—it’s about creating a better experience for all stakeholders:

Design Choice	Benefit	Business Impact
OAuth, limited scope	Protects user access and data security	Reduces security risks and builds trust
Manual selection	Respects user agency and GDPR standards	Improves quality of invitations and reduces spam complaints
Fast deletion of unused contacts	Reduces liability and compliance burden	Simplifies data management and reduces breach exposure
Clear opt-outs for recipients	Builds brand trust and prevents spam complaints	Improves sender reputation and deliverability
Transparent data practices	Builds user confidence and satisfies regulatory requirements	Increases user engagement with sharing features

Make privacy the default—and users will share more confidently. By designing contact import features with privacy at their core, you create a foundation of trust that benefits your platform, your users, and their contacts.

This approach not only satisfies legal requirements but also creates a better user experience that can differentiate your platform in a crowded market.

Up Next

Read Global Compliance Checklist for Crowdfunding to understand the key global regulations that affect crowdfunding platforms.

Or revisit privacy-forward architecture:
Privacy by Design