Key Takeaways
- Gmail’s AI-powered defense blocks over 99.9% of spam, but some threats slip through. New requirements for bulk senders aim to fix this issue.
- Bulk senders must authenticate emails, allow easy unsubscriptions, and stay under a precise spam rate to prevent excessive unwanted emails.
- Google’s efforts to reduce spam in Gmail are commendable, but it remains to be seen if they can effectively tackle spam from other sources.
Everyone uses email. This means nearly everyone receives spam, and heaps of it.
Spam arrives via texts, phone calls, and social media, and most noticeably, reams of spam in your email account of varying types and dangers. However, Google has said no longer and is making big changes to stop the amount of spam received—and sent from—Gmail.
How Google Reduces Spam In Gmail
Gmail’s AI-powered defense blocks over 99.9% of spam, including phishing emails and malware, from reaching your inbox daily. However, some threats are more intricate and rapid and slip the net.
Image Credit: The Keyword
In October 2023, Google announced its official blog, The Keyword, new protections for Gmail users that implement new requirements for bulk senders—those who send more than 5,000 Gmail messages daily—starting in February 2024.
Most bulk senders fail to adequately safeguard and configure their systems, making it easy for attackers to blend in, exploit, and send spam. To fix this, Google is focusing on a vital component of email security: verifying the sender is who they claim to be. While it sounds simple, the unreliable nature of the internet can make it difficult to verify who sends an email, something spammers exploit.
How Gmail’s New Requirements Will Stop Spam
By February 2024, Gmail will have three new requirements for bulk senders.
1. Email Authentication
Those who send frequent amounts of emails must authenticate them by following Google’s Spoofing and DKIM rules. It will close any security flaws for exploiters to use to endanger email users.
2. Easy Unsubscriptions
Bulk senders must allow recipients to unsubscribe from their emails with one click, and they must process the unsubscription request within 48 hours. It is made on open standards, so once a sender implements them, every email user should benefit from it.
3. Closer Enforcement of Spam Rates
A precise spam rate barrier that all senders must stay under to prevent Gmail recipients from receiving excessive amounts of unwanted emails—an industry first. Ultimately, you should see less spam in your inbox.
But Google isn’t the only company pushing for such changes. For instance, Yahoo is working with Google and other email communities to make significant, powerful changes to keep emails running smoothly and make emails more secure, user-friendly, and spam-free.
Before Google’s new spam enforcement rules start in February 2024, Gmail’s Email Sender Guidelines detail how users can improve their systems.
Put an End to Gmail Spam
Spam comes in many forms and is annoying to receive, so it’s good to see Google’s plan to stop bulk senders from sending spam in 2024.
It’s a change that many, if not all, Gmail users will appreciate. However, whether it does enough to reduce spam will be another test entirely, as spam comes from all corners, not just Gmail.
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