Validity for good

 

To ensure that COVID-19 related communications from government agencies and organizations reach the inbox, email solutions provider, Validity (https://www.validity.com/) is providing a free access to its crisis communications programme, Validity for Good.

With Validity for Good, agencies and organizations are temporarily granted access to the Return Path Email Certification service (https://www.validity.com/products/returnpath/certification/) so that messages related to public safety and COVID-19 reach their subscribers arriving in inboxes, not spam folders.

As Mark Briggs, chairman and CEO of Validity explains, “Email remains the most critical communications channel related to the global pandemic, yet organizations face the increasing reality that their emails are not getting through to constituents, citizens, and customers.  Further complicating the process are bad actors which are taking advantage of the global emergency communications efforts by transmitting dangerous messaging, including phishing, malware, ransomware, and spam in the name of COVID-19.”

“The email ecosystem is being flooded with COVID-19 communications, which means emails like critical infrastructure updates are being mixed in with a stream of marketing emails, personal communications, and the unfortunate steady influx of unwanted spam.  With this huge global volume of COVID-19 email, we saw legitimate, critical emails struggling to reach users – and we knew we could help.  That’s what spurred Validity for Good.  We purposely focused Validity for Good on email because that’s what’s critical right now – getting people important, need-to-know information,” continues Briggs.

“We are also looking for ways to expand Validity for Good over time as we find additional ways that our platform, team, and resources can help bring good when the world needs it most.”

According to real-time research (https://www.validity.com/resource-center/webinar/state-of-email-live/) conducted by Validity, which analyses data that covers 2.5 billion mailboxes across nearly every country around the world complaint rates for COVID-19 related marketing emails are steadily on the rise, suggesting an increase in bad actors.

But with nearly 15% legitimate, crisis-related COVID-19 emails being caught by spam filters, it is essential that for bona fide critical and essential businesses, and governmental and public agencies, can deliver their messages more reliably to users’ inboxes.

“Email is the number one channel that states and cities are leveraging for messages related to testing programmes and services for people in quarantine, along with medical inventory and so much more,” says Matt Blumberg, interim director of the State of Colorado's COVID-19 Innovation Response Team.  “Validity for Good will play a critical part for both public and private sector organizations that need to ensure that email messages get to the inbox, not the spam folder.”

“It's great to see Validity's philanthropic efforts around delivery of critical messages,” adds Don Owens, architect at Cisco Talos.  “Cisco Talos, as well as other security organizations and products, leverages tools like the Return Path Certification program to provide positive signals to aid in allowing legitimate, important messages to reach the intended recipients.  It's very important that critical messages regarding the COVID-19 pandemic reach the inbox, while misinformation and other scams are blocked.”