Which method does Salesforce Marketing Cloud use to authenticate emails in a private domain?

Salesforce Marketing Cloud employs the Sender Policy Framework (SPF), Sender ID, and DomainKeys as methods to authenticate emails sent from a private domain. These protocols are essential for verifying that the sender of an email is authorized to send messages on behalf of that domain, thereby enhancing security and preventing email spoofing.

SPF allows the domain owner to specify which mail servers are permitted to send emails for that domain, helping receiving servers determine the legitimacy of incoming emails. Sender ID is an extension of SPF that uses an organization's DNS records to verify the sending server's alignment with the domain. DomainKeys provides a way to ensure the integrity of the message by attaching a digital signature to the email, which can be validated against the public key published in the domain's DNS records.

Utilizing these methods helps improve deliverability rates as receiving servers are more likely to trust messages that pass authentication checks. They are key components in safeguarding the reputation of the domain and ensuring that recipients have a reliable experience with emails sent from that domain.