In the same vein, rather than following Gmail and Yahoo’s current opt-in requirements to the letter, senders should go a step further and implement a more aggressive (and more widely recommended) double-opt-in approach. For more tips to future-proof your email program, watch Validity’s on-demand speaking session at GURU Conference 2024.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) protects brands by verifying that emails sent from their domains are legitimate. When an email fails these checks, DMARC can instruct the recipient's email server to reject or flag it as suspicious.
Despite DMARC’s importance, 57 percent of respondents admitted to only partially understanding the DMARC protocol. (Of course, this is an improvement on the 12 percent that had no understanding of DMARC.)
Furthermore, less than a quarter of respondents have implemented DMARC at its full strength using a p=reject policy. While Gmail and Yahoo aren’t currently mandating it, moving to a p=reject policy is the most effective way to prevent unauthorized or fraudulent use of your domain.
Malicious actors now view the p=none policy as a sign of weakness because it signals that senders aren't monitoring suspicious traffic or directing mailbox providers on how to handle it. This in mind, it's highly likely that the next iteration of bulk sender requirements will make p=quarantine/reject mandatory.
