GDPR & reporting: Link scanner-proof email click detection is urgently needed

[Grégoire_Miche2]

I know this one is a hard one. Yet, take into account that, in order to comply with GDPR, we are all implementing Double-Opt-In processes on our Marketo instances, the second step of which is based on email clicks.

The number of people that see links scanner triggering false clicks on emails is clearly increasing since Devraj Grewal​ post 2 years ago (Email was clicked before it was delivered? It's a link scanner ), down to Courtney Grimes​'s blog article . And so far, no really satisfactory solution has been found, despite all the creativity and research from community members (look at Dan Stevens​'s 45 minutes wait step here​ or Sanford Whiteman​ multiple contributions on this)

This means that we are going to confirm opt-in based on link scanner clicks... Sounds bad, don't you think?

So, we really need Marketo to invest into Link Scanner-Proof email click detection. Maybe combining clicks with user agent detection, rapidity/multiplicity of the clicks, email address domains and a little of AI/deep learning (leveraging the trillions of email click events registered in Marketo systems) could lead to a much better reliability

-Greg

[Grégoire_Miche2]

added here: Marketo GDPR Compliance-a summary of key ideas

[SanfordWhiteman]

But it's been bad practice for years (before things got really bad) to have just clicking the link be enough... you should have a button (i.e. form) that the lead needs to deliberately click. (This also affects any site that, for example, sends out password reset links.)

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Agreed, but anyway, this would be interesting to get more reliable clicks anyway

[Chris_Wilcox]

Totally agree, but my only issue is... the purpose of the bots clicking out emails is to ensure the safety of their users. Which means their ability to 'fool' our marketing systems so it's simulating a real person clicking is critical for the success of that spam checking platform. As a marketer I would LOOOOVE this feature, but I don't think it's realistic as someone else out there will just make a better trap once we "solve" for it.

[SanfordWhiteman]

Thank you for understanding that detecting mail scanners, if it were possible, makes them useless against malicious actors as well.

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Hi Chris,

Thats a very good point.

Not everyone would have the possibility to invoke AI and machine learning simply to differenciate a bot from a human... Making the capacity to detect bots the apanage of large vendors ... or very sophisticated hackers

-Greg

[mpaladhi]

I am also seeing an exceptionally high number of clicks on the very first link of the email for specific email template type. Link scanner issue is on all email templates. This needs to be fixed or there has to be a viable solution to filter human clicks.