Google on Tuesday announced a number of important changes to how it handles email from bulk senders to reduce spam and other unwanted emails.
According to the company, bulk senders will have to verify their emails, provide a simple method for subscribers to unsubscribe, and stay under a reported spam threshold.
Any bulk sender, which Google describes as someone who sends more than 5,000 messages to Gmail addresses in a single day, will be impacted by the changes.
This may include almost any company with a sizable mailing list, from major merchants to major IT firms to even smaller startups and B2C businesses or newsletter authors wishing to promote themselves via email.
Google asserts that it already employs AI technology to prevent 15 billion unwanted emails daily and more than 99.9% of spam, phishing, and malware before they reach consumers’ inboxes.
Gmail will begin by expanding on a rule it set forward last year that calls for emails sent to Gmail addresses to include some kind of authentication to confirm that the sender is who they say they are.
Additionally, bulk senders will have to allow customers to unsubscribe with a simple click and process those requests within two days.
Google stated that many mass senders already adhere to the new rules, and it will continue to provide explicit instructions up until the new rules’ implementation in February 2024.
