In addition to the implementation of Artificial Intelligence in the security filtering of your email, Google is promoting new measures so that by 2024 Gmail will be a much safer and spam-free option.
Email is key in today’s world and Google is leading a revolution with Gmail to make this tool as reliable as possible, based on three main changes starting in 2024.
Primary goal: reduce spam
In a move that signals a significant shift in the email landscape, Google has announced strict new measures aimed at reducing spam in Gmail, its email service that has been around for two decades. The tech giant revealed that starting in 2024, bulk email senders (those who send more than 5,000 messages to Gmail addresses in a single day) will be subject to rigorous authentication processes. Additionally, these senders must offer recipients the option to unsubscribe with a single click. The changes will affect a broad spectrum of businesses, including many smaller startups.
Neil Kumaran, group product director for Gmail Security & Trust, said the new requirements are designed to make Gmail inboxes “more secure and spam-free.”
The company’s AI-powered defenses already block nearly 15 billion spam emails daily, but as threats evolve, so must Google’s countermeasures. The focus is on email validation, ensuring senders are who they say they are. Last year, Google began requiring some form of authentication for emails sent to Gmail addresses, resulting in a 75% drop in unauthenticated messages.
The new guidelines stipulate three key requirements for bulk senders:
- Authenticate your email: Senders should strongly authenticate their emails following established best practices.
- Enable easy unsubscribe: Gmail recipients should be able to unsubscribe from commercial emails with a single click, and unsubscribe requests should be processed within two days.
- Ensure they send unwanted email: A clear spam rate threshold will be applied to ensure that Gmail recipients are not bombarded with unwanted messages.
For more secure email
These changes are not just a Google initiative. Industry partners, including Yahoo, are also pushing for these high-impact changes to become the new industry standard. Marcel Becker, senior product manager at Yahoo, emphasized the need for collective action in the “interconnected world of email.”
While many senders already meet most of these requirements, Google is providing clear guidance before enforcement begins in February 2024. The move is seen as a tune-up for the world of email, which requires constant collaboration and monitoring of entire email community. The announcement has generated mixed reactions. While some see it as a necessary step to improve email security, others question its impact on email marketing strategies. The one-click unsubscribe requirement, in particular, has drawn attention, with some wondering how it will affect customer preference centers.
As email remains a crucial part of daily communication for businesses and individuals alike, these changes underscore the need for a more secure, user-friendly, and spam-free email experience.
