Is UCEPROTECT L3 a blacklist worth worrying about for email deliverability?

Summary

The consensus is that UCEPROTECT Level 3 (L3) is a controversial blacklist, listing entire IP ranges or ASNs based on the behavior of a few bad actors. While its intention is to combat spam and encourage ISPs to take responsibility, its impact on email deliverability is variable. Some experts downplay its significance, particularly for senders targeting major email providers like Gmail and Yahoo, who rely more on internal metrics. Others see it as a data point, suggesting a need to investigate potential underlying issues with sending practices. Smaller ISPs might use UCEPROTECT L3, making it more relevant for certain audiences. Key actions include monitoring deliverability metrics, understanding recipient ISP policies, and focusing on strong sender reputation and engagement metrics.

Key findings

  • Controversial Listing: UCEPROTECT L3 lists entire IP ranges/ASNs, affecting both good and bad senders.
  • Variable Impact: Impact depends on recipient ISP's policies; major providers often disregard it.
  • Monitoring Essential: Monitoring deliverability metrics helps determine actual impact and identify issues.
  • Signal for Investigation: A listing can signal underlying problems with sending practices requiring investigation.
  • Overly Agressive: Some experts suggest UCEPROTECT L3 is overly aggressive.

Key considerations

  • Audience Focus: Assess if recipients are with ISPs that use UCEPROTECT L3.
  • Monitoring Practices: Actively monitor deliverability, bounce rates, and sender reputation.
  • ISP Policies: Understand recipient ISPs' specific email filtering policies.
  • Reputation Building: Prioritize strong sender reputation, engagement, and authentication.
  • Internal Metrics: Focus on factors like user engagement, spam complaints, and authentication practices.

What email marketers say
11Marketer opinions

UCEPROTECT Level 3 (L3) is a controversial blacklist that lists entire IP ranges and ASNs, based on the behavior of a few bad actors within those ranges. Its impact on email deliverability varies; while some experts consider it overly aggressive and not worth significant concern, others suggest monitoring its effects, especially if a substantial portion of your recipients are with ISPs that use UCEPROTECT. Major email providers like Gmail and Yahoo may not heavily rely on UCEPROTECT L3, but smaller ISPs might. Being listed on UCEPROTECT L3 is often a signal to investigate potential issues with your sending practices.

Key opinions

  • Aggressive Listing: UCEPROTECT L3 lists entire IP ranges/ASNs, potentially affecting legitimate senders.
  • Variable Impact: Impact on deliverability varies; major providers may not rely on it, smaller ISPs might.
  • Monitoring Advised: Monitoring email deliverability metrics is crucial to assess the actual impact.
  • Signal for Investigation: Listing on UCEPROTECT L3 can indicate underlying issues with sending practices.

Key considerations

  • Recipient Base: Assess if a significant portion of your recipients are with ISPs that use UCEPROTECT.
  • Deliverability Metrics: Monitor deliverability rates, bounce rates, and sender reputation.
  • ISP Specific Policies: Understand the specific email filtering policies of the ISPs your recipients use.
  • Underlying Issues: If listed, investigate and address any potential problems with your sending practices.
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailDrip.com shares that UCEPROTECT Level 3 is controversial because it lists entire IP ranges, potentially affecting senders with good practices. They suggest monitoring but not panicking unless deliverability issues arise.

February 2025 - EmailDrip.com
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks mentions that all of their SparkPost IPs were recently listed on UCEPROTECT L2 and L3 but they saw no effect, however they don't send to Germany/Austria/etc.

November 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Stackoverflow user 'MailAdmin' responds that being listed on UCEPROTECT L3 alone shouldn't cause major deliverability issues to big providers like Gmail or Yahoo. However, some smaller ISPs or companies might use the list, so it's good to monitor your sending reputation and bounce rates.

August 2021 - Stackoverflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from GlockApps answers that while UCEPROTECT can affect deliverability, its impact varies depending on the recipient server. They recommend monitoring your deliverability rates to identify any potential issues caused by the blacklist.

March 2021 - GlockApps
Marketer view

Email marketer from Spamhaus Forum explains that UCEPROTECT's Level 3 listing policy blocks entire netblocks based on the behavior of a few bad actors, which is considered overly aggressive by many in the email community.

July 2024 - Spamhaus Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet answers that UCEPROTECT's levels 2 and 3 are very aggressive, blacklisting entire IP ranges and even ASNs. They say that although being listed there doesn't automatically mean delivery failure, it's something to be aware of and monitor.

September 2022 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that UCEPROTECT level 3 targets entire ASNs, and provides an example where SendGrid ASN was listed during Black Friday 2018.

July 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit user 'EmailGuru' shares that while a UCEPROTECT listing can be concerning, it's important to monitor your email deliverability metrics. A sudden drop in deliverability to specific regions might indicate an issue, but if overall deliverability remains stable, the impact may be minimal.

December 2024 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Gmass shares that UCEPROTECT is an anti-spam organization that maintains several blacklists, with Level 3 being the most controversial because it lists entire IP ranges. Being listed can potentially impact deliverability, especially to smaller ISPs.

May 2022 - Gmass
Marketer view

Email marketer from Quora user 'DeliverabilityExpert' shares that you should assess the importance of UCEPROTECT to your specific audience. If a significant portion of your recipients are with ISPs that use UCEPROTECT, then it's a concern. Otherwise, it might not be a top priority.

August 2022 - Quora
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that being on UCEPROTECT L3 is like saying you have an IP address that may or may not send email. They also state that L1 is marginally useful, and L2 and L3 should never be used on a production system.

September 2024 - Email Geeks

What the experts say
4Expert opinions

Experts offer mixed perspectives on the importance of UCEPROTECT Level 3 (L3) for email deliverability. Some advise against paying it much attention, suggesting it has no real impact. Others view it as more of a data point, signaling a need to investigate potential problems with sending practices. It's also noted that UCEPROTECT L3 might disproportionately concern smaller businesses lacking in-house deliverability expertise, potentially leading to overreactions, and that overall, focusing on reputation-based filters and engagement metrics is more important.

Key opinions

  • Limited Impact: Some experts suggest UCEPROTECT L3 has little to no actual impact on deliverability.
  • Data Point: UCEPROTECT L3 can act as a data point indicating potential issues with sending practices.
  • Overly Aggressive: UCEPROTECT L3 is seen by some as too aggressive due to its practice of blocking entire network blocks.

Key considerations

  • Small Business Impact: Smaller businesses might overreact due to a lack of deliverability expertise.
  • Reputation Focus: Prioritize reputation-based filters and engagement metrics over UCEPROTECT L3.
  • Investigate Listings: If listed, investigate potential sending practice problems.
Expert view

Experts from Email Geeks, Steve Atkins (WttW) says to pay no attention to UCEPROTECT. Laura Atkins (she/her) adds that she doesn't want to reinforce their bad behavior by mentioning it, also Steve adds no one sees any impact on deliverability from this blocklist.

August 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that UCEPROTECT level 3 might be a concern for smaller businesses that don't have dedicated deliverability experts. The listings themselves aren't necessarily critical, but if a small business lacks the resources to investigate, they may overreact and make unnecessary changes.

August 2022 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise says that UCEPROTECT Level 3 is overly aggressive due to its practice of listing entire network blocks. He says it's more important to focus on reputation-based filters and engagement metrics.

May 2022 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise shares that UCEPROTECT Level 3 is more of a data point than a definitive blocklist. She suggests that it's a sign to investigate further and see what's triggering the listing, as it may indicate underlying issues with your sending practices or infrastructure.

June 2023 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Documentation from various sources indicates that UCEPROTECT Level 3 (L3) aims to protect mail servers by listing ASNs originating spam, encouraging ISPs to address spam issues. However, the actual impact on deliverability varies significantly depending on the recipient mail server's policies. Larger providers often disregard UCEPROTECT L3 due to its broad approach. The effectiveness of any blocklist hinges on mail server configuration, and major providers like Microsoft and Google prioritize internal metrics like user engagement and sender reputation over solely relying on third-party blacklists.

Key findings

  • ASN Listing: UCEPROTECT L3 lists entire ASNs to combat spam.
  • Variable Impact: Impact depends on recipient mail server's policies; larger providers may ignore it.
  • Internal Metrics: Major providers prioritize internal metrics like engagement over external blocklists.
  • Configuration Dependent: Blocklist effectiveness depends on mail server configuration and policies.

Key considerations

  • Recipient Policies: Understand the recipient mail server's policies regarding blacklists.
  • Sender Reputation: Focus on improving sender reputation through good sending practices.
  • Engagement Metrics: Prioritize user engagement, minimize spam complaints, and ensure proper authentication.
  • Mail Server Configuration: Properly configure mail servers to align with best practices.
Technical article

Documentation from Spamhaus suggests that while UCEPROTECT listings can impact deliverability, the actual impact depends on the recipient mail server's policies. Many larger providers ignore UCEPROTECT Level 3 due to its broad-stroke approach.

November 2024 - Spamhaus
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft responds that the effectiveness of a blacklist like UCEPROTECT depends on various factors, including the specific policies of the receiving mail server. Some servers may give more weight to certain lists than others, and Microsoft uses a variety of signals to determine email delivery, not solely relying on third-party blacklists.

June 2021 - Microsoft
Technical article

Documentation from UCEPROTECT explains that Level 3 aims to protect mail servers from spam originating from entire networks by listing the ASN. The goal is to encourage ISPs to take responsibility for spam originating from their networks.

September 2022 - UCEPROTECT
Technical article

Documentation from RFC explains that the effectiveness of any blocklist depends entirely on the mail server's configuration and policies. RFC specifications don't mandate the use of any particular blocklist, and mail server administrators have the freedom to choose which lists, if any, to use.

February 2025 - RFC-Editor
Technical article

Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools explains that Google primarily uses its own internal metrics to assess sender reputation. While external blacklists can play a small role, Google's algorithms focus on factors like user engagement, spam complaints, and authentication practices.

December 2024 - Google