The Global suppression list (GSL) is a collection of known bad email addresses and domains, including ISP spam complainants. We can automatically suppress any problematic email addresses known to us, cutting down on the number of complaints you might otherwise receive.
Before you start
Things you need to know:
Only sign up legitimate email addresses. The Global Suppression List cannot fix all the problems of an unhealthy contact list.
Global suppression list suppressions can’t be easily undone. Recovery takes time and usually incurs a cost.
Learn more in Global Suppression List recovery.
Revise your contacts against the Global Suppression List
Expand the User menu and go to Settings > Email > Suppression settings.
Select RUN GSL.
All of your contacts’ email addresses are compared to the Global suppression list and, once complete, you see a report. The report shows the number of contact email addresses found on the Global suppression list and for what reason.
Clear the check boxes for any groups you don't want to suppress.
To learn about the report reasons and their definitions, check out the section Report definitions.When ready, select YES. Email addresses of the selected groups are unsubscribed. These email addresses then appear on your suppressed contacts list.
Revise a segment against the Global Suppression List
Go to Audience > Segments.
Select the check box for the segment you want to compare.
Expand the MORE ACTIONS drop-down menu, and select Check selected contacts against Global suppression list. The email addresses of the contacts in the segment are compared to the Global suppression list and, once complete, you see a report. The report shows the number of contact email addresses found on the Global suppression list and for what reason.
Clear the check boxes for any groups you don't want to suppress.
Select YES. Email addresses of the selected groups are unsubscribed. These email addresses then appear on your suppressed contacts list.
Report definitions
The report provides a number of reasons for the global suppression of email addresses and domains. Here are their definitions:
Reason | Definition |
Known hard bounces | Email addresses that have resulted in a hard bounce.
These email addresses are known to our system through internal machine learning and third-party data feeds. |
Known ISP complainers | Email recipients who've exhibited an unusually high number of ISP complaints.
ISP complaints are caused by a recipient reporting received an email to their inbox provider as a spam/junk message. When a recipient has decided to classify a message as spam/junk via their inbox provider's UI, they click the spam/junk button. This is considered a complaint. Several inbox providers allow visibility of this information through the employment of these feedback loops. Feedback loops allow our system to receive messages back from mailbox providers about recipients who've complained.
These recipients are known to our system through the application of complaint feedback loops. |
Known direct complainers | Email recipients who've exhibited an unusually high number of direct abuse complaints.
Direct complaints occur when recipients complain directly to us about a received message which they consider unsolicited (spam). Direct complainers may also use third party reporting methods such as SpamCop.net, JunkEmailFilter.com and other spam reporting organisations, including the Federal Trade Commission.
These complaints are typically received to our abuse@ or postmaster@ email addresses. |
Invalid domains | Domains that don't have a valid MX record and therefore can't receive email. Additionally, an invalid domain could be what is known as a parked domain - a domain which has been purchased, but not used for anything. Often, spam trap operators will set up MX records and report all received email as spam trap hits.
These domains are known to our system through internal machine learning and third-party data feeds. |
Known purchased addresses | Email recipients who have appeared on known purchased email lists.
Although these recipients appear on purchased lists, they can often be legitimate email addresses who may have explicitly opted in to receive email.
It's not uncommon to see several recipients on a legitimate, permission-based list which has never been contaminated with purchased, rented or appended data.
These known purchased addresses are known to our system through a third-party data feed provided by a security company. |
Known complainer | Email recipients who've exhibited public anti-spam abuse complaints, typically through the use of popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. They generally post public statements about receiving unsolicited mail from organisations on their social media profiles (public shaming).
These recipients are known to our system through an external data feed provided by a third-party security company. |
Known litigator | Email recipients who are known to have entered into litigation with email senders over the receipt of unsolicited commercial email. A known litigator is a recipient who targets senders of commercial bulk email in an attempt to profit from the winnings of legal proceedings.
These recipients are known to our system through a third-party data feed. |
Global Suppression List recovery
Once an email address has been suppressed using the GSL, it can't be easily undone. We implement this in the interests of email anti-abuse best practice, which takes into account constraints around suppressions and the serious impact of direct complaints on sending reputation.
If you have no option other than to request the bulk reversal of email addresses suppressed using the GSL, you must open a request with our Support team. The removal process includes an initial analysis by our anti-abuse and compliance team to ensure there's no risk of reintroducing unsafe email addresses. Once cleared, our Support team adds the approved email addresses back to your list. Due to the amount of time and effort required to complete this process, a cost to you is usually involved.