On Tuesday, Google announced measures aimed at reducing spam messages sent to Gmail users. The company disclosed its plans, which include implementing stricter requirements for senders:
1.Google will mandate that email senders who exceed 5,000 messages per day to Gmail users must incorporate a one-click unsubscribe option within their emails.
2.Senders will also be required to authenticate their email addresses, ensuring that they verify ownership of their domain names and prevent IP address spoofing.
3.Additionally, Google may choose not to deliver messages from senders whose emails are frequently marked as spam, falling below a “clear spam rate threshold” of 0.3% of messages sent, as assessed using Google’s Postmaster Tools.
4.Google has enlisted Yahoo to adopt similar changes, which are scheduled to take effect in February 2024.
These actions underscore the ongoing battle between major tech companies and spammers who exploit open systems like email to send fraudulent and disruptive messages. Despite employing machine learning techniques to combat spam over the years, it remains a continuous challenge as spammers continually devise new methods to bypass filters.
In a blog post, Google’s product manager, Neil Kumaran, likened these changes to a tune-up for the email ecosystem, emphasizing that ongoing collaboration and vigilance from the entire email community are necessary to maintain email security, user-friendliness, and spam prevention.
It’s important to note that Google’s adjustments could potentially impact legitimate marketers who rely on email for customer communication, especially the requirement to facilitate quick unsubscribing. According to estimates from Kaspersky Anti-Virus, approximately half of all emails sent in 2022 were classified as spam.
