Gmail announces important changes to bulk mailings coming Feb. 2024

Do you handle messaging for your departments? Are you in charge of working with newsletters not configured by your campus IT support team? Does your department send bulk emails or newsletters using a third-party or cloud-based service like SalesForce or Constant Contact? Important changes are coming and we want you to be prepared!

What is the change?
Google recently announced that any bulk mail service sending in excess of 5000 emails a day must be validated and authenticated by February 2024. Any service violating this new policy will automatically have their emails sent to quarantine for Google Workspace and Gmail email accounts. Google will require the use of Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC).

What does this mean for UA?
If you are using an on-prem, third-party, or cloud-based service, not configured by IT, to send as @alaska.edu — such as SalesForce, SalesForce Marketing Cloud, Constant Contact, or any of its subdomains, or any other UA owned domains for mass communication — you may be affected by this change. 

How can you check compliance?

1. Send a test email from your service to your @alaska.edu address.

2. In Gmail, open the email and click the three dots in the top right:

screenshot from Gmail



 

3. Select Show Original.

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4. Check the last box of the header. If this says FAIL, your emails are not properly authenticated.

Screenshot from Gmail

 

 

 

 

 

 

For further questions?
If your email message does not pass DMARC or other questions visit the FAQs for Google Bulk Email. Additionally, your local service desk is also here to help:

University of Alaska Anchorage
Technical Support Center: (907)786-4646
Toll-Free: (877) 633-3888
uaa.techsupport@alaska.edu

University of Alaska Fairbanks
Phone:  (907) 450-8300
Toll-free: (800) 478-8226
helpdesk@alaska.edu
https://www.uaf.edu/nooktech/get-help

University of Alaska Southeast
907-796-6400 (Helpdesk)
877-465-6400 (Toll-Free)
uas.helpdesk@alaska.edu