Microsoft is taking proactive measures to combat spam by announcing plans to enforce a daily Exchange Online bulk email limit of 2,000 external recipients starting in January 2025. This move is aimed at preventing the abuse of Exchange Online resources and ensuring fair usage among customers. The new External Recipient Rate (ERR) limits will be implemented in two phases, affecting both newly created and existing tenants of cloud-hosted mailboxes.
Under the new policy, Exchange Online customers who need to exceed the ERR limit will be required to switch to Azure Communication Services for Email, a service tailored for high-volume email communication with external recipients. Additionally, Google has also stepped up its efforts to tackle spam by implementing stricter thresholds and authentication guidelines for bulk email senders starting April 1st. These measures, including SPF/DKIM and DMARC email authentication requirements, aim to enhance defenses against spam and phishing attacks targeting Gmail accounts.
To comply with Google’s guidelines, bulk email senders must also ensure they avoid sending unwanted or unsolicited messages, provide easy one-click unsubscribe options, and promptly address unsubscription requests. Failure to adhere to these guidelines may result in Gmail rejecting the offending emails. Overall, these initiatives from Microsoft and Google signify a concerted effort to strengthen email security and combat the growing threat of spam and phishing attacks in the digital ecosystem.
