Google has begun automatically blocking emails sent by bulk senders who do not satisfy tighter spam criteria and authenticating their messages in line with new requirements to strengthen defences against spam and phishing attacks.
As announced in October, users who send more than 5,000 messages per day to Gmail accounts must now configure SPF/DKIM and DMARC email authentication for their domains.
The updated regulations also mandate that bulk email senders refrain from delivering unsolicited or unwanted messages, offer a one-click unsubscribe option, and react to requests to unsubscribe within two working days.
Additionally, spam rates must be kept at 0.3%, and "From" headers cannot act like to be from Gmail. Email delivery issues, such as emails being rejected or automatically directed to recipients' spam folders, may arise from noncompliance.
"Bulk senders who don't meet our sender requirements will start getting temporary errors with error codes on a small portion of messages that don't meet the requirements," Google stated. "These temporary errors help senders identify email that doesn't meet our guidelines so senders can resolve issues that prevent compliance.”
In April 2024, we will start rejecting non-compliant traffic. Rejection will be gradual, affecting solely non-compliant traffic. We strongly recommend senders to utilise the temporary failure enforcement period to make any necessary changes to become compliant, Google added.
The company also intends to implement these regulations beginning in June, with an expedited timeline for domains used to send bulk emails starting January 1, 2024.
As Google said when the new guidelines were first released, its AI-powered defences can successfully filter roughly 15 billion unwelcome emails per day, avoiding more than 99.9% of spam, phishing attempts, and malware from reaching users' inboxes.
"You shouldn't need to worry about the intricacies of email security standards, but you should be able to confidently rely on an email's source," noted Neil Kumaran, Group Product Manager for Gmail Security & Trust in October. "Ultimately, this will close loopholes exploited by attackers that threaten everyone who uses email.”
