Google said on Tuesday it would make it more difficult for spammers to send messages to Gmail users. The company said it will require email senders who send more than 5,000 emails a day to Gmail users to provide a one-click unsubscribe button in their emails.
The company will also require them to certify their email addresses and configure their systems to prove they own their domain names and are not spoofing IP addresses.
Alphabet's Google said it may not send emails to senders whose emails are frequently marked as spam and whose spam delivery rate is below the "explicit spam delivery threshold" of 0.3%, as measured by Google's Postmaster Tools.
Google said it has contracted with Yahoo to make the same changes, which will take effect in February 2024.
The moves highlight the ongoing battle between big tech companies and spammers, who exploit open systems like email to send deceptive messages and harass users. Machine learning technology has been used to combat spam for years, but the battle continues as spammers discover new techniques to evade filters.
Google product manager Neil Kumaran wrote in a blog post: "These changes are like an adjustment to the email world. By fixing some of the hidden problems, we can keep email running smoothly. But like adjustments, this is not a one-time job. Keeping email more secure, user-friendly, and spam-free requires continuous collaboration and vigilance from the entire email community."
Google's changes could also affect some legitimate marketers who actively use email to market to or stay in touch with customers, especially by requiring users to be allowed to quickly unsubscribe.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus estimates that about half of all emails sent in 2022 will be spam.