Is feedback loop information considered public domain?

10 Marketer opinions 3 Expert opinions 4 Technical articles 2 Resources

Summary

The consensus from experts and marketers is that feedback loop information is generally not public domain. It is primarily an agreement between senders and mailbox providers to facilitate the forwarding of spam complaints for better email list management and improved sender reputation. While there's a possibility of information leaks, sender subscriber data within platforms like uFBL is typically available to Mailbox Provider partners via UI but not exported publicly. Crucial steps for protecting deliverability and sender reputation include implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, especially for private email servers, consistently sending valuable content, monitoring blocklists, and ensuring DKIM keys are appropriately sized. Documentation emphasizes the importance of standardized formats for feedback reports, different levels of data feed accessibility, and proactive authentication measures.

Key findings

FBL Privacy: Feedback loop information is generally not public domain but an agreement between senders and mailbox providers.
Subscriber Data Access: Sender subscriber data is typically available to mailbox providers via a UI within certain platforms but not via public export.
Authentication Importance: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are crucial for preventing email spoofing and establishing sender validity.
Report Utilization: Standardized feedback reports are used for automated processing of spam complaints.
Data Feeds: Data feeds exist in both public and private forms, depending on the provider.
Reputation Maintenance: Consistently sending valuable content and monitoring blocklists contribute to maintaining a good sender reputation.

Key considerations

Data Security: While feedback loop data is not public, consider potential leaks and secure the information appropriately.
Authentication Practices: Implement and regularly update SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to protect against spoofing and improve deliverability.
Content Strategy: Focus on providing valuable and engaging content to minimize spam complaints.
Monitoring and Management: Actively monitor feedback loop data and blocklists to proactively manage sender reputation.
DKIM Configuration: Ensure that DKIM keys are of an adequate length (2048 bits or higher) to meet current security standards.

What email marketers say
10Marketer opinions

Feedback loops are agreements between senders and mailbox providers, facilitating the forwarding of spam complaints to the sender for list management and improved deliverability. While subscriber information may be available to mailbox provider partners through UIs, it is not generally exported or considered public domain. Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial for authentication and preventing email spoofing, particularly for private mail servers. Consistently sending valuable content, avoiding spam triggers, actively monitoring blocklists, using dedicated IPs, and properly configuring DKIM keys are essential practices for maintaining a good sender reputation and enhancing email deliverability.

Key opinions

FBL Purpose: Feedback loops enable senders to identify and remove subscribers who mark emails as spam, improving sender reputation.
Data Privacy: Sender subscriber information is available to Mailbox Provider partners through a UI, but not via exported data functions, implying limited public access.
Authentication Importance: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential for preventing email spoofing and validating senders to mailbox providers.
List Hygiene: Feedback loops help with list hygiene by identifying users who mark mail as spam.
Reputation Factors: Sending valuable content, avoiding spam triggers, and removing unsubscribed recipients improve IP reputation.
DKIM Key: A DKIM key of 2048 bits is recommended for secure email authentication.

Key considerations

FBL Implementation: Understand the feedback loop mechanism to effectively manage spam complaints and improve list quality.
Authentication Protocols: Implement and maintain SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, especially for private email servers, to enhance security and sender reputation.
Content Quality: Focus on sending valuable and engaging content to avoid spam complaints and maintain a positive sender reputation.
List Management: Actively monitor and remove unsubscribed recipients to avoid being flagged as spam.
IP Reputation: Regularly monitor blocklists and consider using a dedicated IP address for better control over sender reputation.
DKIM Configuration: Ensure DKIM keys are of adequate length (2048 bits) to maintain email security standards.

Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailDeliverabilityBlog.com says actively monitoring blocklists, using a dedicated IP address, and segmenting your email list can lead to good sender reputation.

December 2021 - EmailDeliverabilityBlog.com

Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares if you run your own private mail server. You need to ensure you have SPF, DKIM and DMARC setup.

October 2021 - Reddit

Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum explains consistently sending valuable content, avoiding spam triggers, and promptly removing unsubscribed recipients helps improve IP reputation.

February 2025 - Email Marketing Forum

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that Sender Subscriber information in the uFBL platform is available to Mailbox Provider partners via a UI, but not by way of any exported data function as a whole.

August 2022 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that a feedback loop is a mechanism by which ISPs forward complaints about spam to the original sender, enabling them to manage their email lists more effectively.

June 2022 - Mailjet

Marketer view

Email marketer from SendGrid mentions that feedback loops help legitimate senders identify users who mark their mail as spam. It assists with list hygiene.

December 2021 - SendGrid

Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailToolTester shares that feedback loops allow senders to identify and remove subscribers who mark their emails as spam, thus improving sender reputation and deliverability.

February 2024 - EmailToolTester

Marketer view

Email marketer from StackExchange shares that a DKIM key of 2048 bits is ideal. Shorter keys are no longer regarded as secure enough.

November 2024 - StackExchange

Marketer view

Email marketer from StackOverflow shares that SPF records, DKIM, and DMARC help to prevent email spoofing. Setting these up can help to show mailbox providers you are a valid sender.

August 2023 - StackOverflow

Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus shares that feedback loops allow senders to receive reports about spam complaints. This is then to maintain a healthy email list.

June 2024 - Litmus

What the experts say
3Expert opinions

Experts consistently state that feedback loop information is not considered public domain. Feedback loops are agreements between senders and mailbox providers, where complaints are forwarded privately to the sender for reputation management. While the possibility of information leaks exists, the core data remains non-public.

Key opinions

Non-Public: Feedback loop information is generally not public domain.
Sender-Provider Agreement: Feedback loops are agreements between senders and mailbox providers.
Reputation Management: Feedback loops help manage sender reputation by identifying spam complaints.

Key considerations

Data Security: While not public, be mindful of potential data leaks and secure the information accordingly.
Private Agreement: Understand that feedback loops are private agreements for improving deliverability.
Reputation Monitoring: Use feedback loop data for proactive reputation management and list hygiene.

Expert view

Expert from SpamResource explains feedback loops are an agreement between a sender and mailbox provider where the mailbox provider forwards complaints to the sender, not public.

June 2021 - SpamResource

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks responds that he doesn’t believe the feedback loop information becomes public domain, but whether and how much it leaks is another issue.

August 2021 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise notes feedback loops are a useful tool to help manage your sender reputation, as they identify recipients marking your mail as spam; this information is not public.

May 2023 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

Technical documentation outlines the structure and use of feedback reports, email authentication mechanisms, and data feed availability. Standardized formats for feedback reports facilitate automated processing. Data feeds can be either publicly available or private, and SPF records help prevent email spoofing. DMARC aggregate reports provide information on email sources and authentication results.

Key findings

Standardized Format: Email feedback reports follow a standardized format for automated processing.
Data Feed Variation: Data feeds exist in both public and private forms.
Spoofing Prevention: SPF records prevent email spoofing.
Aggregate Reporting: DMARC aggregate reports offer insights into email sources and authentication checks.

Key considerations

Report Utilization: Use standardized feedback reports to address unsolicited email complaints efficiently.
Data Feed Access: Determine whether public or private data feeds are appropriate for your needs.
SPF Implementation: Implement SPF records to prevent email spoofing.
DMARC Analysis: Analyze DMARC aggregate reports to identify and address authentication issues.

Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org explains DMARC aggregate reports contain information about the sources sending email using your domain and the results of authentication checks.

April 2024 - DMARC.org

Technical article

Documentation from ietf.org specifies that SPF records should be setup to prevent email spoofing.

January 2025 - ietf.org

Technical article

Documentation from Spamhaus explains they offer different data feed types of which some are publicly available and some are private.

January 2024 - Spamhaus

Technical article

Documentation from ietf.org specifies a standardized format for email feedback reports, intended to facilitate automated processing of complaints about unsolicited email.

January 2022 - ietf.org