Is UCEProtect a legitimate blacklist for email marketing and who uses it?

12 Marketer opinions 4 Expert opinions 3 Technical articles 1 Resource

Summary

UCEProtect is a controversial blacklist that lists IPs, IP ranges, and ASNs based on detected spam activity. It operates on three levels: Level 1 lists individual IPs, Level 2 lists entire IP ranges, and Level 3 lists entire ASNs. It's often deemed aggressive due to its broad listing practices, potentially resulting in false positives and deliverability problems. Although UCEProtect claims to target repeat offenders to reduce spam, it's not widely used by large email providers. Its legitimacy is disputed, with some considering it a 'blackmail' list. While a few entities, such as the Munich Municipality, might use it, many advise against it due to high error rates, lack of contact transparency, and delisting fees.

Key findings

Listing Levels Defined: UCEProtect utilizes three listing levels: Level 1 (single IPs), Level 2 (IP ranges), and Level 3 (ASNs), based on spam activity.
Aggressive Nature: UCEProtect is known for its aggressive listing practices, potentially leading to false positives due to the broad scope.
Limited Adoption: Major email providers generally do not widely use UCEProtect.
Contested Legitimacy: The legitimacy of UCEProtect is debated, with some alleging it's a 'blackmail' list.
Impact on Deliverability: Being listed on UCEProtect, especially at Level 3, can significantly hinder email deliverability.

Key considerations

Assess Listing Level: If listed, determine the specific level (1, 2, or 3) to understand the extent of the impact.
Monitor Reputation: Regularly monitor your IP and ASN reputation to proactively address any UCEProtect listings.
Weigh False Positives: Recognize the possibility of false positives and verify listings impacting your email infrastructure.
Understand Remediation: Familiarize yourself with the processes for rectifying listings and adhering to compliance standards.
Consider Alternatives: Explore and use reputable blacklist alternatives with lower rates of false positives.

What email marketers say
12Marketer opinions

UCEProtect is a controversial blacklist that lists IPs, IP ranges, and ASNs based on observed spam activity. It operates on three levels, targeting single IPs, entire IP ranges, and Autonomous System Numbers, respectively. While UCEProtect aims to reduce spam, it's often considered aggressive due to its practice of listing large IP ranges and ASNs, potentially leading to false positives and deliverability issues. Some German providers and the Munich Municipality are noted as users, although its use by larger providers is debated. The legitimacy of UCEProtect is questioned, with some characterizing it as a 'blackmail' list, and many recommend against its use due to its high error rates, lack of transparent contact information, and costs associated with delisting.

Key opinions

Listing Levels: UCEProtect operates on three levels: Level 1 lists single IPs, Level 2 lists entire IP ranges, and Level 3 lists entire ASNs.
Aggressive Listing: UCEProtect is considered aggressive due to listing large IP ranges and ASNs, increasing the risk of false positives.
Controversial Legitimacy: UCEProtect's legitimacy is questioned, with some considering it a 'blackmail' list due to its practices.
Limited Usage: While some entities like the Munich Municipality might use UCEProtect, it's not widely adopted by larger providers.
Deliverability Impact: Being listed on UCEProtect can negatively impact email deliverability, particularly if sharing a subnet with spammers.

Key considerations

False Positives: Due to aggressive listing practices, consider the potential for false positives when relying on UCEProtect.
Impact on Deliverability: Assess the potential impact on email deliverability if your IP or ASN is listed on UCEProtect.
Alternatives: Explore alternative, more reputable blacklists with lower false positive rates.
Delisting Costs: Be aware of the potential costs and difficulty associated with delisting from UCEProtect.
Monitoring: Monitor your IP and ASN reputation to proactively address potential UCEProtect listings.

Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailDodo states that UCEPROTECT is a blocklist that contains IP addresses which were sending spam, and that there are three levels.

December 2023 - EmailDodo

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks clarifies that Level 1 of UCEProtect is IP only, and Level 3 is the whole ASN.

July 2023 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Email marketer from r/emailmarketing discusses that UCEProtect can cause deliverability issues, particularly if you're on a shared IP range, and that some providers may use it, although many consider it overly aggressive.

April 2021 - Reddit

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that they're pretty sure UCEProtect is not used as a signal and references eco email group documents recommending against UCEProtect due to high error rates, wide IP ranges, lack of contact information, and delisting costs.

May 2024 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Email marketer from Blacklists.com responds that UCEPROTECT-Level1 lists single IP addresses of systems that send spam. UCEPROTECT-Level2 lists the complete netrange of an ISP if more than a certain amount of systems send spam and UCEPROTECT-Level3 lists complete Autonomous System Numbers (ASN) if more than a certain amount of systems in it send spam.

March 2023 - Blacklists.com

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks states that, to the best of their knowledge, no German provider is using UCEProtect, nor is the German government. Notes that the Munich Municipality is a customer.

October 2023 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Email marketer from DNSBL.info responds that UCEPROTECT-Level1 lists single IP addresses of systems that send spam. UCEPROTECT-Level2 lists the complete netrange of an ISP if more than a certain amount of systems send spam and UCEPROTECT-Level3 lists complete Autonomous System Numbers (ASN) if more than a certain amount of systems in it send spam.

June 2021 - DNSBL.info

Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailSecurityFAQ explains UCEProtect is controversial and known for listing entire IP ranges, leading to potential issues even if you're not directly sending spam.

August 2023 - EmailSecurityFAQ

Marketer view

Email marketer from StackExchange states that while UCEProtect can impact deliverability, it's not universally used, and being listed doesn't guarantee your emails won't be delivered.

September 2023 - StackExchange

Marketer view

Email marketer from Spamhaus explains that UCEProtect is a 'blackmail' list, run by spammers, and that Spamhaus does not agree with their tactics. Spamhaus blocks all of UCEProtect's ranges.

June 2022 - Spamhaus

Marketer view

Email marketer from UltraTools shares the view that UCEProtect has a reputation for being aggressive and listing large ranges, which can lead to false positives.

May 2021 - UltraTools

Marketer view

Email marketer from MailChannels shares the opinion that UCEPROTECT is aggressive, and it lists entire IP ranges, and can cause deliverability problems if you share a subnet with spammers.

December 2024 - MailChannels

What the experts say
4Expert opinions

UCEProtect is a blacklist that lists IPs, IP ranges, and ASNs based on spam activity, potentially impacting email deliverability, especially at Level 3. While some German providers and Munich use it, its usage isn't widespread among larger entities. The listing process depends on observed spam activity and impacts single IPs (Level 1), IP ranges (Level 2), and entire ASNs (Level 3).

Key opinions

Listing Levels: UCEProtect categorizes listings into three levels: Level 1 (single IPs), Level 2 (IP ranges), and Level 3 (ASNs).
Limited Usage: UCEProtect's usage is not widespread among major email providers.
Deliverability Impact: Being listed on UCEProtect, particularly at Level 3, can negatively affect email deliverability.
Spam-Based Listing: UCEProtect listings are based on observed spam activity from IPs, IP ranges, or ASNs.
German/Munich Usage: Some German providers and the city of Munich are known, though not prominent, users of the blacklist.

Key considerations

Level of Listing: Understand the implications of being listed at different levels (1, 2, or 3) on UCEProtect.
Deliverability Monitoring: Monitor your IP and ASN reputation to promptly address potential UCEProtect listings and their impact on deliverability.
False Positives: Consider the potential for false positives due to UCEProtect's listing practices.
ISP Impact: Assess the potential impact if your ISP or ASN is listed, affecting your overall email deliverability.

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks mentions Munich as a marginally relevant user of UCEProtect for blocking, with others being much lower in significance.

June 2023 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that being listed on UCEProtect, especially Level 3, can negatively impact deliverability and that some providers may block mail from listed IPs/ASNs.

February 2023 - Word to the Wise

Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource shares that UCEProtect lists IPs, IP Ranges, and ASNs depending on spam activity. Level 1 lists single IPs, Level 2 lists entire IP ranges, and Level 3 lists entire ASNs.

November 2023 - Spam Resource

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that no one of any size uses UCEProtect, especially not levels 1, 2, or 3, but some German providers use level 1. Later clarifies she had the levels backwards.

October 2023 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
3Technical articles

UCEProtect is a blacklist that operates on three levels, each targeting different entities based on spam activity: Level 1 lists individual IP addresses, Level 2 lists entire network ranges (netranges), and Level 3 lists Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs). The goal, according to UCEProtect, is to reduce spam by identifying and listing repeat offenders. The listing is based on the observation of spam activity by UCEProtect's spamtraps.

Key findings

Listing Structure: UCEProtect employs a three-tiered listing structure: Level 1 for individual IPs, Level 2 for netranges, and Level 3 for ASNs.
Spam Activity Basis: Listings are determined by spam activity detected by UCEProtect's spamtraps.
Targeting Repeat Offenders: UCEProtect claims to focus on reducing spam by targeting repeat offenders.

Key considerations

Impact on Deliverability: Listings, especially at Level 2 and 3, may significantly impact email deliverability.
Listing Accuracy: Assess the potential for false positives and the need to verify listings affecting your email infrastructure.
Remediation: Understand the procedures for addressing listings and ensuring compliance to avoid future issues.

Technical article

Documentation from Hetrixtools explains UCEPROTECT-Level1 lists single IPs, Level2 lists netranges and Level3 lists ASNs which have a history of sending spam.

February 2024 - Hetrixtools

Technical article

Documentation from MultiRBL defines UCEPROTECT Level 1 as listing single IPs, Level 2 as listing entire IP ranges, and Level 3 as listing entire ASNs.

June 2022 - MultiRBL

Technical article

Documentation from UCEProtect explains that they list IPs, IP ranges, and ASNs based on spam activity observed on their spamtraps. They claim to help reduce spam by targeting repeat offenders.

July 2023 - UCEProtect