Hartley thrown out: Good news for permission, bad news for spammers
Since December 2023, nationwide, around a dozen class action lawsuits have been filed in federal district courts alleging violations of the same Arizona statute.1 At least two cases (Hartley and Mills) have motions to dismiss with Hartley the first to be decided. This post will examine Hartley and its implications.23 What are these cases alleging? Read More
“Forget Me!” Handling Data Deletion Requests as a Data Processor
People have more control over their personal information than ever before. Regulations like the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), and even the new TDPSA (Texas Data Privacy and Security Act) grant users the “right to erasure,” also known as the “right to be forgotten.” This means they can request that Read More
Cousin Domains are what spammers use
In the ever-evolving world of email marketing, businesses continually seek ways to improve their deliverability rates and maintain their sender reputations. One practice that has regained traction recently is using cousin domains to send very low volumes of messages. However, despite its perceived benefits, using cousin domains is a terrible practice that can lead to Read More
Texting Trouble: Privacy Lessons from the Karen Read Case
I have been following the Karen Read murder trial, and it has been quite an ordeal. The trial featured some of the worst expert testimony I have ever seen, a medical examiner who refused to call the death in question “a homicide,” poor investigative technique, and even a couple of “gotcha” moments. Massachusetts State Police Read More
Why data quality depends on user consent
Deliverability Week continues, and it’s my turn to make a substantive contribution today. So, I’m pulling together some of my favorite topics: deliverability, privacy, and consent. Enjoy! Data is the lifeblood of a marketer’s world, but its true power lies in its quality. Imagine making important decisions based on inaccurate or incomplete information – that’s Read More
Deliverability History: Habeas, Deliverability Settings and Email Testers
Back in the day, when Mickey Chandler and I were both working in deliverability and compliance for ExactTarget (later Salesforce Marketing Cloud), I put together an email testing tool called the Reputation Audit. The genesis of this tool – why I created it – was to rebut Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD) that a particular Read More
It’s important to reward good behavior: Deliverability Week
The year was 1997. I had been married for a few months and had not been out of school for much longer. We had just moved from New Orleans to Austin—without jobs, no less. So, Carol and I spent many hours trying to find work. One day, I returned to our modest apartment and checked Read More
Apple’s iOS 18 Mail App: What Marketers Need to Know About the New Tabs
Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is always a highly anticipated event, with developers, tech enthusiasts, and industry insiders eagerly awaiting announcements about the company’s latest innovations. One significant highlight for marketers is that changes are coming to the Mail app in iOS 18 (expected to drop this fall). A Closer Look at the New Mail Read More
SORBS closing has been announced
I’ve heard rumors for a few days that Proofpoint was closing the SORBS (Spam and Open Relay Blocking System) DNSBL. Still, I had not seen any real confirmation until last night, when the list maintainer sent an email to the Mailop mailing list. So, I now feel comfortable posting that SORBS is closing over the Read More
“I got a remediation request from Spamhaus. Now what?”
Today’s big news is the announcement concerning “Operation Endgame.” Operation Endgame is “a coordinated action against some of the most popular cybercrime platforms for delivering ransomware and data-stealing malware.” Brian Krebs, ‘Operation Endgame’ Hits Malware Delivery Platforms, Krebs on Security (2024), https://krebsonsecurity.com/2024/05/operation-endgame-hits-malware-delivery-platforms/ (last visited May 30, 2024). This initiative marks a significant effort by international Read More