What is an Email Blacklist (Blocklist)? (2024)

FAQs

What is an email blacklist? ›

What is an email blacklist? A blacklist is a real-time list that identifies IP addresses or domains that are known to send spam. They're used by organizations like internet service providers (ISPs), free mailbox providers, and anti-spam vendors to prevent spam from coming into their systems.

In the context of cybersecurity, blacklists are used to prevent specific IP addresses, email addresses, or other identifiers from accessing a system or service. Blacklists are commonly used in email servers to prevent spam. They can also be used in firewalls to block specific IP addresses from accessing a network.

The term blacklist refers to a list of people, organizations, or countries that are shunned or excluded by others because they are alleged to have engaged in unacceptable or unethical behavior or activities.

An email blocklist is a record that contains IP addresses or domains flagged by spam filters. Servers use this information to determine which addresses to block—either by diverting directly to a spam folder or by disallowing the send to occur at all.

You'll know you've been blacklisted when your undelivered email generates an error message to inform you of the blacklisting. If, however, you don't receive any such message but notice a sudden drop in your delivery rates, it's a good idea to do an email blacklist check.

Impact of blacklisting on individuals

When individuals are blacklisted, banks and financial institutions are less likely to approve their loan or credit applications. This can make it challenging for individuals to make important purchases, such as buying a car or a home, or even obtaining a credit card.

noun. His record as an anarchist put him on the government's blacklist. a list privately exchanged among employers, containing the names of persons to be barred from employment because of untrustworthiness or for holding opinions considered undesirable.

blacklist. noun. black·​list. ˈblak-ˌlist. : a list of persons who are disapproved of and are to be punished.

A blocklist (also known as a blacklist) is a list of items in a set that are not accepted. In computer security, a blocklist may be used to exclude which set to detect, quarantine, block, or perform security scans on.

When a phone number is blacklisted, it's because that number is known for making unwanted or spam calls. Calls from that number will be blocked or sent directly to voicemail, either by the recipient's phone carrier or a third-party app.

Does blacklisted mean banned? ›

A blacklist is synonymous with a list of banned persons or organisations, and is the opposite of a whitelist.

To get off most blacklists, you need to work directly with the blacklist operators and prove to them that you're actually a trustworthy sender. You can do this by following email best practices for a certain period of time. Some email best practices are: Avoiding the use of no-reply email addresses.

If you can't find the individual's email address in your contacts list or past email conversations, there's a chance that they may have blocked you. 2. Can Someone Block Your Email? Yes, they can block you if they want.

Your email contains a virus. Your server's IP address is on a blocklist. You have a bad IP reputation or sender reputation. You have a high bounce rate.

So, to remove your domain/IP address from those blacklists, it can be as simple as contacting its owner and requesting to be removed. The major blacklist companies have information on their sites on how you can remove yourself from their lists. Usually, the process is straightforward.