Gmail is getting tough on spam — new security rules should help clean up your inbox for good

Google has continued the 20th birthday celebrations for Gmail with the rollout of several new security tools and features.

The email service is receiving a number of security-themed upgrades and updates aimed at improving user safety for business accounts.

This includes new rules for organizations looking to send out mass emails and increased spam protection, as well as the mandatory offering of one-click unsubscribe options.

Gmail spam blocking

Google’s new spam protection rules were first revealed in October 2023, and will come into force this month (April 2024).

The regulations require “bulk senders” – those targeting close to 5,000 or more Gmail addresses within a 24-hour period – to authenticate their emails, and stay under a 0.3% spam rate.

Firms must also make sure their “From” headers do not impersonate Gmail, and offer a one-click unsubscribe button; if a user clicks, they must respond to the request within two days.

Google says that non-compliance will be dealt with severely, with miscreants potentially having their emails rejected or sent to straight spam folders.

“Bulk senders who don’t meet our sender requirements will start getting temporary errors with error codes on a small portion of messages that don’t meet the requirements,” Google said in a support post outlining the changes.

“These temporary errors help senders identify email that doesn’t meet our guidelines so senders can resolve issues that prevent compliance.”

“Starting in April 2024, we’ll begin rejecting non-compliant traffic. Rejection will be gradual and will impact non-compliant traffic only. We strongly recommend senders use the temporary failure enforcement period to make any changes required to become compliant.”

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