Why were Microsoft FBL reports not being received in September 2020?
Summary
What email marketers say16Marketer opinions
Marketer from Email Geeks shares their FBL reports seemed to stop on the 17th but then came back and were backdated.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that several ESPs are facing the issue of not receiving FBL complaints from Microsoft since Thursday evening (UTC time). They have started a thread on Mailop and suggest verifying if others are also impacted.
Email marketer from EmailGeeksCommunity.com recommends double-checking your FBL setup, even if it was working before, especially after a reported outage.
Email marketer from Mailop.org shares experiencing missing FBL reports. After contacting Microsoft support, the reports started flowing again after a few days. This suggests a possible issue with their internal systems or a temporary outage.
Email marketer from Reddit mentions that Microsoft sometimes has outages with their FBL, and to check the status page.
Email marketer from Email Deliverability Blog responds that FBL systems are complex, and temporary issues can arise due to software bugs, server maintenance, or network problems on Microsoft's end.
Marketer from Email Geeks confirms that FBL reports stopped around the beginning of the 18th as well.
Email marketer from Tech Email Forum shares the DNS issues on the sender side causing problems, sometimes SPF or DKIM records might not propagate quickly enough after changes, leading to authentication failures that affect FBL reporting.
Marketer from Email Geeks confirms they are now receiving FBL feeds.
Email marketer from EmailDeliveryBlog.net explains using Microsoft's SNDS program to monitor your IP reputation, and if the tool shows an increase in complaints around the time the FBL stopped, it is possible there was a filtering issue at Microsoft which prevented the delivery of FBL reports.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum says it could be a temporary glitch on Microsoft's end, rather than a configuration issue on the sender's side. He recommends waiting a few days and monitoring.
Marketer from Email Geeks confirms not receiving FBL reports since September 13th.
Email marketer from EmailMarketingTips.org thinks Microsoft might have changed the way they process FBL data, resulting in a temporary cessation of reports while the system adjusted.
Marketer from Email Geeks confirms that the last FBL report was received on midnight of the 18th.
Marketer from Email Geeks confirms experiencing the same issue.
Email marketer from Mailop.org suggests the cause may be related to Microsoft infrastructure changes. Microsoft often makes changes to their infrastructure, and it is likely related to the FBL delays. The changes may also have impacted the speed of SPF/DKIM validation, resulting in delivery delays.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that data privacy considerations can lead to changes in how Microsoft processes and shares FBL data, potentially causing temporary disruptions or delays in receiving reports. She highlights the importance of adapting to evolving privacy standards.
Expert from Spam Resource emphasizes that sudden changes in sender reputation can trigger Microsoft to temporarily suppress FBL reports as part of their spam mitigation efforts. A sudden spike in complaints or a sudden drop in engagement can trigger this.
Expert from Word to the Wise describes common issues impacting Microsoft FBL report reception like misconfiguration, blocklisting, or network glitches. He suggests proactively monitoring deliverability metrics to identify and resolve potential issues.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Microsoft SNDS recommends monitoring the SNDS portal to get the most up-to-date information about your mail traffic including complaint rates, which may indicate FBL issues.
Documentation from RFC Editor (RFC 5965) explains the ARF format for FBL reports, emphasizing the need for clear identification and processing of feedback loops. If Microsoft made changes to its FBL processing, it might have temporarily affected the ARF parsing.
Documentation from Microsoft Postmaster suggests that if you aren't receiving FBL data, ensure that your systems are properly configured to receive and process the feedback data. They also recommend reviewing their FBL documentation for troubleshooting tips.
Documentation from Microsoft Documentation states that to participate in the Outlook.com FBL, you need to implement certain authentication standards such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.