From early next year, Gmail users who send out thousands of emails to recipients will have to follow new measures put in place to protect users from spam and allow recipients to opt out of getting such emails.
In a blog post published on Tuesday, Google said that “bulk senders” will have to authenticate their emails to prevent security exploits, give recipients the option to unsubscribe from messages with just one click and process such requests in two days, and they must stay under a clear spam rate threshold.
Google defined bulk senders as those who send more than 5,000 messages to Gmail addresses in one day.
Many companies with a digital presence send frequent emails or even spam content to users. The use of dark patterns often makes it challenging or time-consuming for users to opt out of such messages. A common tactic used by many companies is forcing customers to log into an account on their website to manually request that they be removed from email lists, instead of letting them click the ‘Unsubscribe’ button in their Gmail account.
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The new measures will be enforced in February next year. Google also pointed out that email service providers like Yahoo will be working alongside it to maintain these standards.
“These practices should be considered basic email hygiene, and many senders already meet most of these requirements. For those who need help to improve their systems, we’re sharing clear guidance before enforcement begins in February 2024,” said Google in its blogpost.
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