It's clear that email has become an essential part of everyday communication. And whether you're submitting a job application or keeping in touch with a loved one, your email needs to be secure.
Gmail's AI-powered protections stop over 99.9% of spam, phishing, and malware from reaching your inbox, and block nearly 15 billion unsolicited emails every day. But nearly 20 years after the introduction of Gmail, the threats we face are more complex and pressing than ever.
Today, we're introducing new requirements for high-volume senders (senders who send more than 5,000 messages per day to a Gmail address) to better protect your inbox from spam.
Focus on email verification
Many mass senders do not properly secure and configure their systems, making it easy for attackers to hide within them. To solve this problem, we've focused on an important aspect of email security: verifying sender identity. It sounds basic, but given the outdated and inconsistent systems on the Internet, it may still be impossible to verify the sender of an email.
Last year, it was mandated that emails sent to Gmail addresses require some form of authentication. We've also dramatically reduced the number of unauthenticated messages our Gmail users receive by 75%. This cleans up your inbox and blocks billions of malicious messages with greater accuracy.
While this is a big step forward, there is still much work to be done, including new requirements for large senders.
New requirements for bulk senders
By February 2024, Gmail will require bulk senders to:
- Verify your email. You don't have to worry about the intricacies of email security standards, but you do need to be confident and trustworthy of the email source. That's why we require users who send high-volume email to follow established best practices to strongly authenticate their email. Ultimately, this closes a loophole exploited by attackers that threatens everyone who uses email.
- Enable easy unsubscription: You don't have to jump through hoops to stop receiving unwanted messages from a particular email sender. One click and you're done. That's why we require large senders to offer Gmail recipients the ability to unsubscribe from commercial email with one click, and to process unsubscribe requests within two days. These requirements are built on open standards, so when senders implement them, everyone who uses email benefits.
- Make sure they are sending the required emails. No one likes spam. Gmail already includes a number of tools to keep unwanted messages out of your inbox. To add yet another protection, from now on Gmail recipients will have a clear spam rate threshold to ensure senders do not fall below this threshold so that they are not exposed to unwanted messages. We plan to apply it. This is an industry first and should result in even less spam appearing in your inbox.
We are not alone in driving these changes. Our industry partners also recognize the pressing need to implement these regimes, stating that “all users, no matter who their email provider is, have the safest and most secure experience possible.” We have the right to do so,” said Marcel Becker, senior director at Yahoo. “This will require all of us working together, and Yahoo looks forward to working with Google and the rest of the email community to make these common-sense, high-impact changes the new industry standard.” I am.”
These practices should be considered basic email hygiene, and many senders already meet most of these requirements. For those who need help improving the system, we will share clear guidance before enforcement begins in February 2024.
These changes are like tweaks in the email world, fixing some issues under the hood to keep your email running smoothly. However, like any adjustment, this is not a one-time task for him. Keeping email more secure, easier to use, and spam-free requires continued cooperation and vigilance from the entire email community. We look forward to working with you to keep your inbox safe.
