Email Blocklist Practices Modernisation Working Group (EBPM-WG)

What is EBPM-WG?

The Email Blocklist Practices Modernisation Working Group (EBPM-WG) is a new, vendor-neutral initiative convened under the Inbox Council and Emailexpert. It brings together email industry stakeholders — including mailbox providers, ESPs, DNSBL operators, marketers, and infrastructure vendors — to collaboratively review and update best practices for blocklist operations and their role in email delivery and abuse prevention.

Why Now?

Many current practices around DNS-based blocklists (DNSBLs) are rooted in outdated assumptions and lack transparency, accountability, or consistency with today’s threat landscape. RFC 6471, the only broadly cited document on DNSBL operations, is over a decade old and no longer reflects modern standards, technologies, or expectations.

As the inbox experience becomes more critical to commerce and communication, it’s time for the industry to revisit how blocklists are used — and misused — and work together to ensure fairer, more effective, and more ethical email filtering practices.

What EBPM-WG Will Do:

• Identify pain points and inconsistencies in current DNSBL usage
• Facilitate open, cross-functional discussions between senders, operators, and receivers
• Develop consensus-based guidance and operational recommendations
• Support transparency, due process, and accountability in blocklist governance