Google has taken proactive measures to bolster its defenses against spam and phishing attacks by implementing new measures to block spoofed emails. The tech giant now automatically blocks emails from bulk senders who fail to meet stringent spam thresholds and authenticate their messages according to new guidelines.
Effective immediately, senders dispatching over 5,000 messages daily to Gmail accounts must adhere to SPF/DKIM and DMARC email authentication protocols for their domains. Additionally, bulk email senders must ensure compliance with regulations aimed at curbing unsolicited messages, providing a one-click unsubscribe option, and promptly addressing unsubscription requests within two days.
Non-compliance with these guidelines may lead to email delivery issues, including rejection or diversion to recipients’ spam folders. Google has introduced temporary errors to help senders identify non-compliant email messages, with plans to gradually transition to outright rejection for non-compliant traffic by April 2024.
Furthermore, Google intends to enforce these requirements more rigorously starting in June, particularly targeting domains engaged in bulk email distribution since January 1, 2024. With its AI-powered defenses successfully thwarting billions of unwanted emails daily, Google aims to instill confidence in users’ email security by closing loopholes exploited by attackers.
