Gmail to enforce strict rules in 2024 to keep your inbox spam-free

Google has announced that it will implement stricter rules in Gmail for bulk senders from February 2024 in an effort to reduce spam and other unwanted emails.

“We’re introducing new requirements for bulk senders — those who send more than 5,000 messages to Gmail addresses in one day — to keep your inbox even safer and more spam-free,” Google said in a blogpost on Tuesday.

The tech giant said beginning next year, bulk senders will be required to authenticate their emails, provide an easy way to unsubscribe, and stay below a reported spam threshold.

“Starting February 2024, Gmail will require the following for senders who send 5,000 or more messages a day to Gmail accounts: Authenticate outgoing email, avoid sending unwanted or unsolicited email, and make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe,” Google stated.

Google already claims to use AI technology to block more than 99.9 per cent of spam, phishing and malware from reaching users’ inboxes, and it blocks 15 billion unwanted emails per day.

However, as technology advances, Google’s defences for its now 20-year-old email system must evolve as well, the company said.

Meanwhile, Google has announced that it will discontinue the Basic HTML version of its Gmail service in January 2024.

“You can display Gmail on your browser in Basic HTML view until January 2024. After this date, Gmail automatically changes to Standard view,” Google said.

The company also mentioned on its support page that until January 2024, if you use an unsupported browser, you can open Gmail in Basic HTML view — on your computer and your mobile browser.