Should I worry about being on UCEPROTECTL2 or UCEPROTECTL3 blocklists?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Quora responds that to minimize the impact of being on a blocklist, ensure your email practices are clean, implement authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and monitor your sender reputation.
Email marketer from StackExchange shares that being listed on UCEPROTECT L2/L3 often indicates a problem with your upstream provider’s overall spam management. It may not be directly your fault, but it *can* affect your deliverability.
Email marketer from Mxtoolbox shares that not all blacklists are created equal; some are more heavily weighted by ISPs than others. Check your presence on multiple lists to get a comprehensive view of your IP reputation.
Email marketer from Email Deliverability Forum shares that if you're on a shared IP address and the actions of another sender are causing the UCEPROTECT listing, there is little you can do other than requesting your provider to investigate.
Email marketer from MailServerTalk Forum responds that if your emails are bouncing specifically due to UCEPROTECT, it's a serious issue. If deliverability is generally good, then you probably don't need to worry.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that if you send to German based ISPs it could impact you more than the average sender.
Email marketer from Spiceworks shares that UCEPROTECT levels 2 & 3 are generally regarded as inconsequential if you are not directly responsible for the listing. Focus on level 1.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that neither GMX, nor web.de or other bigger german providers use UCEprotect. Maybe some very small ones (most likely mainly some businesses)
Email marketer from Reddit explains that if you're on UCEPROTECT Level 2 or 3, it's likely an issue with your hosting provider or ISP, not your individual sending practices. Contact them to resolve it.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares it depends on how you found it. If found in bounce responses for important mail, worry. If found by plugging your IP into a blacklist checker site, don’t worry. This applies to all blacklists.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum responds that while a UCEPROTECT listing isn't ideal, its impact depends on your target audience. If you're primarily sending to major providers like Gmail or Yahoo, it might not be a major issue, but smaller ISPs might be more sensitive.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks explains that UCE Level 2/3 means your provider is listed and it's not likely you causing it. These are escalation listing based on inaction to other complaints/spam activity.
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that while UCEPROTECT lists can impact deliverability, the degree of impact depends on the recipients. Not all ISPs use it, so assess whether it is impacting delivery to your target audience before investing significant effort in removal.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from UCEPROTECT shares that Level 3 lists complete autonomous systems (AS) if level 2 criteria are met multiple times within a 7 day period. This suggests a systemic problem.
Documentation from Spamhaus explains that maintaining a good IP reputation is crucial for email deliverability. Monitor your IP address on various blocklists and address any issues promptly.
Documentation from Microsoft SNDS explains that they use their own internal blocklists. Although UCEPROTECT is an external list, widespread listing could indirectly affect your Microsoft deliverability.
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools explains that maintaining a good sender reputation is key to reaching Gmail inboxes. Monitor your reputation and address any issues promptly. UCEPROTECT can indirectly impact your reputation if it affects your deliverability to certain providers.
Documentation from UCEPROTECT explains that Level 2 lists entire IP ranges because one or more mail servers within this IP range have sent spam, and the responsible person obviously does not care about the problem.