Gmail

Gmail targets spam by requiring one-click unsubscribe from bulk senders

Abner Li | Oct 3 2023 - 8:00 am PT

To reduce the spam that Gmail users receive, Google is targeting bulk email senders and instituting new requirements, like straightforward unsubscribe, next year.

Bulk senders are classified as those that send over “5,000 messages to Gmail addresses in one day.” These commercial emails will have to offer a one-click unsubscribe link that’s clearly visible in the message body, and process that request within two days.

Google says “many bulk senders don’t appropriately secure and configure their systems,” and is going to require them to authenticate emails with DKIM (and SPF) so that the “From” address is harder to spoof/impersonate. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) standard has to also be set-up, which is also required for getting official company logos to appear in a message and the blue checkmark.

In instituting a related change last year that requires “emails sent to a Gmail address must have some form of authentication,” Google has seen the number of unauthenticated messages received by Gmail users decrease 75%.

Gmail is also implementing a “clear spam rate threshold that senders must stay under to ensure Gmail recipients aren’t bombarded with unwanted messages.” This specifically is referring to a spam rate percentage of under 0.3% as reported by Gmail’s Postmaster Tools. Google says this policy move is an “industry first.”

Google is working with partners, like Yahoo, to make these measures become standards for everyone in the industry:

“No matter who their email provider is, all users deserve the safest, most secure experience possible,” says Marcel Becker, Sr. Dir. Product at Yahoo. “In the interconnected world of email that takes all of us working together. 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.”

These policies have to be implemented by February 2024 or not bulk senders might be flagged by Gmail’s spam filters and/or blocked from inboxes. Google is offering guidance for bulk senders here.