As part of our efforts to stop unwanted emails, Twilio has recently updated our Twilio SendGrid Email Policy to be more consistent with our Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). Email recipients expect that the emails they want to receive will reach them, unhindered by filtering or other blockers. An important step Twilio and its customers can take to make that expectation a reality is to prevent and eliminate unwanted emails. To that end, Twilio strives to work with its customers so that emails are sent to recipients that wish to receive those emails, and those emails comply with applicable laws, regulations, and industry standards or guidance.
This guide covers the following topics:
For full details, see the complete Twilio SendGrid Email Policy.
Notice: If you are an Independent Software Vendor (ISV) - a Twilio SendGrid customer who uses Twilio SendGrid services in the delivery of your services to your own clients (see End Users as defined in our Terms of Service) - that means your responsibility to adhere to our policies extends to the activity of your customers. You and your End-Users must comply with the Twilio SendGrid Email Policy and all applicable laws, regulations, and industry standards or guidance in connection with your use, or your End Users use of Twilio SendGrid Email.
Prohibited content types
Twilio SendGrid Email prohibits sending of any content that is illegal or content that is harmful, unwanted, inappropriate, objectionable, confirmed to be criminal misinformation, or otherwise poses a threat to the public, even if the content is permissible by law. This content is not allowed, regardless of user consent.
Examples of prohibited content include, but are not limited to:
- Pornography/sexually explicit content
- Misinformation about products claiming to prevent, treat, or cure health issues (such as illness or disease) that have not been approved by the applicable government authority
- Escort services, mail-order bride/spouse finders, international marriage brokers, and other similar sites and services
- Advertising for prescription medication that cannot legally be sold over-the-counter
- Hate speech, harassment, exploitative, defamatory, obscene, abusive, or any communications that originate from a hate, terrorist, or violent extremism group
- Content that is fraudulent or meant to mislead the recipient (e.g., phishing emails)
- Malicious content intended to harm, such as malware or viruses
- Any content that is designed to intentionally evade filters
Prohibited uses
Twilio SendGrid Email will not support the following use cases or usage types:
- Using third party email addresses or domain names without proper consent or authorization from the third party
- Sending emails that result in an unacceptable number of spam or unsolicited email complaints
- Disguising, falsifying, or manipulating the origin, subject matter, headers, or transmission path information of any email
- Sending chain letters, pyramid schemes, or other fraudulent or deceptive content to a recipient
- Using any tracking technologies (e.g., tracking pixels or cookies) in emails sent to a recipient prior to obtaining consent from that recipient to the extent and in the manner required by applicable law or regulation
- Evading mechanisms, filters, and detection capabilities designed to identify unwanted emails
Deliverability risks
Some content or sending practices are not illegal or prohibited, but are highly likely to face deliverability issues. High rates of deliverability problems and third-party complaints (e.g., consumer or recipient complaints or complaints from inbox providers) may negatively affect the performance of Twilio SendGrid Email and Twilio’s business reputation. As such, email content or sending practices that generate such outcomes may lead to Twilio’s refusal to deliver emails or account suspension.
Examples of content that may be at risk for increased monitoring and potential deliverability issues include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Emails related to work-at-home hoaxes, get rich quick schemes, and make money online schemes
- Unsolicited lead generation opportunities
- Gambling services
- Multi-level and affiliate marketing
- Credit repair and get-out-of-debt opportunities
- Multimedia Messaging Service
- MM3 Stage 3 for Internet Mail Exchange
- Selling “Likes” or followers for a social media platform
- Cryptocurrencies, virtual currencies, and any digital assets related to an Initial Coin Offering
Age Gating
If you are sending email in any way related to alcohol, firearms, gambling, tobacco, cannabis, or other adult content, then you must ensure that the recipient is at least of legal age to provide consent to receive such an email based on where the recipient is located. You need to be able to provide proof that age gating is in place.