Fear No Blacklist: How Email’s Savviest Senders Steer Clear

Part of the secrecy claim is true: because many rely on spam traps — mailboxes monitored for sending violations — and spam traps' addresses need to be secret to be effective, marketers can't know which names on their lists trigger blacklisting events. However, blacklist operators do strive to apply consistent rules, including remaining blind to message context. Their goal isn't to flag marketing; it's to flag unwanted email. In reality, they base blacklisting decisions on three factors: spam traps, complaint rates and malicious links.