Blacklist Management in Mapp Engage

Introduction

Blacklists in Mapp Engage define which contacts must be excluded from communication and audience management. You can blacklist email addresses, mobile phone numbers, or entire domains, and you can add entries manually, through imports, via the API, or in automated workflows.

Although the process can be automated, blacklisting is always a deliberate action - Mapp Engage never adds contacts to a blacklist automatically.

Common Use Cases

Block specific identifiers: Prevent sending to certain email addresses, mobile numbers, or domains.
Enforce organization or policy rules: Exclude internal test domains or domains restricted by policy.
Respect unsubscribe requests: Add contacts to a blacklist as part of opt-out handling in automated workflows.

How Blacklists Work: Types, Imports, and Enforcement

What can be blacklisted, and how entries are added

You can blacklist the following data types: email addresses, mobile phone numbers, and domains.
Entries can be added directly in the interface, through file imports, via the API, or by automation after events such as an unsubscribe.
Blacklisting is always a manual decision.

Import file formats

When importing blacklist entries, use one of the following supported formats:

Text files: Entries separated by commas, for example: someone@example.com, example.com, 1234567890

XML files: Wrap each entry in the appropriate tag, for example:

<blacklist>
  <email>someone@example.com</email>
  <domain>test.com</domain>
  <phone-number>212121212</phone-number>
</blacklist>

MD5 hashed files: Supported for email addresses only. Other formats are ignored.

Group Blacklist vs. System Blacklist

Blacklists can be defined at the group level or system level, depending on whether you want to block communication within a specific group or across all groups in your Mapp Engage account.

Feature / Behavior	Group Blacklist	System Blacklist
Scope	Applies only to one group	Applies to all groups in the system
Data deleted	Removes group-related data only	Removes all contact data from the system
Contact removed from group(s)	Removed from the selected group only	Removed from all groups
Re-subscription possible	Cannot re-subscribe to the same group	Cannot re-subscribe to any group
Blocked during import	Prevents import into the same group	Prevents import into any group
Receives forwarded messages	No	No
Profile remains in the system	Yes	No
Typical use case	Exclude a contact from one specific group (for example, a campaign list)	Exclude a contact or domain from all communication in your Engage system
Whiteboard job	Add to Blacklist - Add Contact to Group Blacklist	Add to Blacklist - Add Contact To System Blacklist

Managing blacklists with a Whiteboard automation

You can add contacts to blacklists in automation workflows. This can be triggered after an unsubscribe event, based on profile changes or contact behavior, or as part of opt-out handling in event-based workflows.

For details, see Add to Blacklist.

What happens when blacklisted contacts are targeted

Mapp Engage automatically blocks communication and list operations for blacklisted entries:

Subscription requests via API, email, or SMS are ignored. Landing page attempts return an error.
Group additions in the UI trigger an error message.
Imports skip the contact and log an error.
Forwarded messages are not delivered to blacklisted contacts.

These safeguards ensure blacklisted contacts remain excluded, even unintentionally.