Blacklists
A blacklist is a record of the domain names, email addresses, and mobile phone numbers that you do not want to contact.
When you add a contact to a blacklist, the system removes the contact from one or more groups. The system prevents the contact from subscribing or being imported again.
Since the blacklist removes the contact from the group or groups, you can no longer send messages to the contact with other channels. For example, if you add JoeExample@example.com to the system blacklist, you can no longer contact Joe via SMS, either.
WARNING!
When you add a contact to a blacklist, some or all the contact profile data is deleted. A contact can only rejoin as a new contact.
Group blacklists: When a contact is placed on a group blacklist, the system deletes all group-related information. Member attributes and group membership data, including subscription records are deleted permanently.
System blacklists: When a contact is placed on a system blacklist, all contact profile data is deleted.
Group Blacklists
A group blacklist applies to a single group.
When you add a contact to a group blacklist:
The contact is deleted from the group.
The contact is unable to resubscribe to the group.
The contact cannot receive any messages that are forwarded to them by other message recipients in the group.
If an address for the contact is included in a list you import into this group, the contact is skipped (not imported).
System Blacklists
The system blacklist applies to all groups in your system.
When you add a contact to the system blacklist:
The contact is deleted from the entire system.
This deletes all address data, profile data, subscription data, and message data.The contact no longer receives any message that the system sends.
The contact cannot subscribe or resubscribe to any group.
The contact cannot receive any messages that are forwarded to them by other message recipients.
The contact is skipped (not imported) during import in any group.
Creating Blacklist Entries
You control the blacklist entries. Unlike deactivation, which is automatic, you decide who to add to the group and system blacklists.
You can add the following entries to the blacklist:
Email addresses
Mobile phone numbers
Domain names
You can add entries to the blacklist in the interface, with an import, or via API.
For instructions, see:
You can also add contacts to a blacklist with an automation.
For instructions, see:
Attempts to resubscribe a blacklisted contact result in the following errors:
Subscription requests sent via API, email, or SMS are ignored.
If the contact attempts to resubscribe on a landing page, an error results.
Messages that are forwarded to the contact by other system contacts are not delivered.
If you attempt to add the contact to the group in the user interface, the system produces an error message.
If you attempt to import the contact into the group, the contact is skipped (not imported) in the import data. The address is listed as an error in the import report.
Blacklists vs. Robinson Lists
Both blacklists and Robinson lists prevent you from sending messages to a contact.
The following table provides you with an overview of the differences.
Blacklist | Robinson List | |
|---|---|---|
Application | Use a blacklist when you want to block contacts in one group or in one system. | Use a Robinson list if you have multiple systems and you want to block addresses in multiple systems. A Robinson list can be connected to multiple systems. |
Group or System Level | A blacklist can be created for each group individually. Every system also has a system-wide blacklist. | A Robinson list normally applies to all groups in the system. However, you can turn the list on or off for specific sendout groups. |
List Management | Blacklists can be edited at any time, directly in the system interface. | The Robinson list is managed externally. You can add entries to the Robinson list with an event-based automation. |
Method to Block Sendout | Blacklists remove the contacts from the group or from all system groups. Mapp stores the blacklisted address in a separate database to ensure that this address is not added or re-imported. | Contacts on the Robinson list remain in the system and in the system groups. During sendout, the system checks the Robinson list and prevents sendout to the contacts on the Robinson list. |
Contact Data | When a contact is placed on a blacklist, some or all the contact profile data is deleted. Before you import a blacklist, export and back up your contact data. To verify the opt-in confirmation and subscription data for legal reasons, you can only retrieve subscription data from the exported file. After activation of the blacklist, this data is no longer present in the system. | Robinson lists do not delete any address data. You can access all contact data at any time, including the date and time of subscription. The addresses are not checked against the Robinson list during import. Therefore, you can import large address files into the system faster than when you import with a blacklist. |
Contact Data Import | When you import a file with contact data, the system compares the addresses in the file with the addresses that are stored in the blacklist database. The file import process is therefore slower. | When you import a file with contact data, the system does not compare the addresses in the file with the Robinson list. The Robinson list only becomes relevant during sendout. The file import process is therefore faster. |
Message Statistics | System blacklist: Contacts who are skipped during sendout produce a skip in the message statistics. Group blacklist: Contacts who are skipped during sendout of a group message do not produce a skip in the message statistics. Single messages that are not sent to the contact due to the group blacklist do produce a skip in the message statistics. | Contacts who are skipped during sendout produce a skip in the message statistics. For more information, see Skipped Messages (tab). |
The Blacklisting Process
When a domain, email address or phone number is added to a system blacklist, the system performs the following actions:
The entry is added to the blacklist. The system blocks contacts with the specified address or domain. From this moment on, these contacts cannot subscribe, re-subscribe, or be added to a group.
A system message provides you with information about the entries that have been added to the blacklist.
For system blacklists, the system deletes all contact profile data. The email address or phone number is retained in the system blacklist to ensure that the contacts cannot be reimported or added to new groups.
For group blacklists, the contact is removed from the group. The system deletes all member attributes associated with the contact for the group.
A system message notifies you that the blacklisted contacts have been deleted from the group.
- The system checks once more to confirm that the contact profile data was deleted from the system. This additional step is taken in the unlikely event that the contact was not deleted due to conflicts such as database locks or parallel contact imports