SMS STOP keyword immediately removes user from marketing SMS lists

TCPA §227(b) imposes strict liability for sending SMS to numbers on the national Do-Not-Call registry or after a STOP reply — penalties run $500–$1,500 per message. Most SMS providers (Twilio, Vonage) auto-honor STOP at the carrier level, but that protection evaporates the moment you switch providers or add a second sending path. Without an inbound webhook that writes opt-out status to your database, the only suppression record lives in a third-party system you don't control. GDPR Art. 7(3) and CCPA §1798.120 add parallel requirements: withdrawal of consent must be honored immediately and must propagate to all processing activities.

Configure an inbound Twilio webhook that validates the signature and writes smsOptOut: true synchronously, then check that flag in every outbound send.

// app/api/webhooks/sms/route.ts
const STOP_KEYWORDS = ['STOP', 'STOPALL', 'UNSUBSCRIBE', 'CANCEL', 'END', 'QUIT']

export async function POST(req: Request) {
  const body = await req.formData()
  const params = Object.fromEntries(body.entries()) as Record<string, string>
  const sig = req.headers.get('x-twilio-signature') ?? ''
  if (!validateRequest(process.env.TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN!, sig, process.env.TWILIO_WEBHOOK_URL!, params)) {
    return new Response('Forbidden', { status: 403 })
  }
  if (STOP_KEYWORDS.includes((params['Body'] ?? '').trim().toUpperCase())) {
    await db.smsSubscriber.updateMany({
      where: { phoneNumber: params['From'] },
      data: { smsOptOut: true, optOutAt: new Date() },
    })
  }
  return new Response('<Response></Response>', { headers: { 'Content-Type': 'text/xml' } })
}

Also guard every outbound send with a smsOptOut: false check before calling the provider API.

• ID: email-sms-compliance.unsubscribe.sms-stop-honored

• Severity: high

• What to look for: Enumerate every relevant item. TCPA and CTIA guidelines require that SMS senders honor STOP (and equivalent keywords: STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT) immediately. Most SMS service providers (Twilio, Vonage, Plivo) automatically handle STOP at the carrier/platform level and block further sends to that number. However, the application must also update its own database to reflect the opt-out — otherwise, if you switch providers or send through a different channel, you will re-message an opted-out user. Check whether there is an inbound SMS webhook handler that processes STOP replies. Check whether the handler updates the subscriber's opt-out status in the database. Check whether the sms_opt_in or equivalent field is checked before every outbound SMS send.

• Pass criteria: At least 1 of the following conditions is met. An inbound SMS webhook handler exists that receives carrier opt-out notifications (or directly handles STOP replies) and immediately updates the subscriber's SMS opt-out status in the database. The outbound SMS send logic checks this status and never sends marketing SMS to opted-out numbers. If the SMS provider handles STOP automatically, the application additionally syncs this status to its own database.

• Fail criteria: No inbound SMS webhook configured. STOP is handled by the SMS provider but the application database is never updated, creating a gap if the sending channel changes. Outbound SMS send does not check local opt-out status.

• Do NOT pass when: The item exists only as a placeholder, stub, or TODO comment — partial implementation does not count as passing.

• Skip (N/A) when: The application sends no marketing or promotional SMS — only transactional notifications (e.g., OTP codes, appointment reminders triggered by user action).

• Cross-reference: For user-facing accessibility and compliance, the Accessibility Basics audit covers foundational requirements.

• Detail on fail: Example: "Twilio is configured for outbound SMS but no inbound webhook handler found in codebase. STOP handling is entirely delegated to Twilio; local database never updated. If sending channel changes, opted-out users will be re-messaged." or "No SMS opt-out status field in database. STOP replies not processed.".

• Remediation: Configure an inbound webhook and sync opt-out status to your database:

  // app/api/webhooks/sms/route.ts — Twilio inbound SMS webhook
  import { validateRequest } from 'twilio'
  
  export async function POST(req: Request) {
    // Verify the request came from Twilio
    const url = process.env.TWILIO_WEBHOOK_URL!
    const authToken = process.env.TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN!
    const sig = req.headers.get('x-twilio-signature') ?? ''
    const body = await req.formData()
    const params = Object.fromEntries(body.entries()) as Record<string, string>
  
    if (!validateRequest(authToken, sig, url, params)) {
      return new Response('Forbidden', { status: 403 })
    }
  
    const from = params['From'] ?? ''
    const messageBody = (params['Body'] ?? '').trim().toUpperCase()
  
    const stopKeywords = ['STOP', 'STOPALL', 'UNSUBSCRIBE', 'CANCEL', 'END', 'QUIT']
  
    if (stopKeywords.includes(messageBody)) {
      // Immediately mark the number as opted out
      await db.smsSubscriber.updateMany({
        where: { phoneNumber: from },
        data: { smsOptOut: true, optOutAt: new Date(), optOutKeyword: messageBody },
      })
    }
  
    // Twilio expects a TwiML response
    return new Response('<Response></Response>', {
      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'text/xml' },
    })
  }
  

  // In your outbound SMS sending function — always check opt-out status
  export async function sendMarketingSms(to: string, body: string) {
    const subscriber = await db.smsSubscriber.findFirst({ where: { phoneNumber: to } })
    if (!subscriber || subscriber.smsOptOut) {
      console.warn(`[sms] Skipping opted-out number: ${to}`)
      return
    }
    // Proceed with send
  }