IP Blacklist Removal: How to Get Your IP Address Unlisted

(Go to our Blacklist Check page to find out if your IP address is listed on an anti-spam database. This article explains why that happens and how to get off a blacklist.) Each blacklist database has its own criteria for flagging IP addresses and compiling its own list of online offenders. Those criteria could include a variety of “listings”: technical, policy, and evidence-based. If your IP address has been blacklisted and you want to investigate, you’ll need to visit the blacklist’s website and do a lookup on your IP address. Most blacklist databases will provide general listing reasons, but don’t list specific email addresses tied to blacklisted IP addresses. If you’re able to find out why you were blacklisted, you can try to get it reversed. (You may want to work with someone who is technically savvy to better help you.) To start with, take time to ensure your network and mail server are configured correctly and all the details are in order for resolving the issues, as prescribed by the blacklist. For example, they may ask you to correct both forward and reverse DNS records, as well as SMTP banners. In addition, you can do the following: You want to be removed from any blacklists because databases often share IP addresses that have been listed. If you think you’ve fixed things on your end, go back to the blacklist’s site and follow their instructions for the IP address removal process. Here’s what you’re likely to come across: When you’re trying to get off a blacklist, you’ll get farther along if you follow the rules and cooperate. If you are truly innocent of any deliberate wrongdoing (or if you made an honest mistake), let them know. The more open and direct you are with a listing database, the simpler it may be to have your IP address taken off the blacklist. Keep this in mind: You might be able to resolve any blacklist issues online. If not, and the blacklisting is troublesome for you, consider contacting the list by phone and try to resolve the issue that way.