Messaging, Malware, Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group

🚨 New M3AAWG publication: M3AAWG Position on Cold Email Deceptive Cold Emailing — unsolicited messages that mimic legitimate one-to-one outreach to create a business relationship, a sale, a business opportunity, or other professional benefit — is an abusive practice that violates M3AAWG values. 📄 Read the full position statement here: https://lnkd.in/gdxpBrbU

Cybercrime is continuing to evolve into a massive, industrialized global economy, so much so that if cybercrime were a country, it would be the 4th largest economy in 2025. M3AAWG is proud to co-sponsor Interisle Consulting Group’s Cybercrime Supply Chain 2025 report, examining more than 26 million malware, phishing, and spam attacks worldwide. This year’s findings show: 🔺 60% increase in overall attacks 🔺 126% surge in compromised or maliciously registered domains 🔺 149% growth in domains registered directly by criminals 🔺 177% increase in bulk-registered domains used for abuse The report outlines strategies the ecosystem must adopt to disrupt this criminal infrastructure, from stronger customer verification to automated mitigation systems. These findings reinforce M3AAWG’s commitment to evolving our priorities and anti-abuse strategies to stay ahead of an increasingly sophisticated cybercrime landscape. Explore the full analysis and understand why these findings matter now more than ever by heading to the M3AAWG Blog. https://lnkd.in/ezVhPw4U

Online abuse is evolving faster than ever — across platforms, borders, and industries. No single organization, sector, or region can address these challenges alone. It's a challenge that can only be fought collaboratively, and your voice belongs in this conversation. M3AAWG is now accepting session proposals — including keynotes, panels, presentations, lightning talks, and trainings — for our 2026 General Meetings: San Diego · Feb 16–19, 2026 (Deadline: Dec 2, 2025) Montreal · June 8–11, 2026 (Deadline: May 11, 2026) Paris · Oct 26–29, 2026 (Deadline: Aug 31, 2026) Submit your idea or learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dYT-TFUM

Romance scams are not the result of “naivete.” They are engineered. They are strategic. They are systemically enabled. At M3AAWG65 in Charlotte, keynote speaker Cecilie Fjellhøy (co-founder of LoveSaid and survivor featured in The Tinder Swindler) called for urgent change in how we recognize, prevent, and respond to romance scams. She reminded us: Scammers use scripted playbooks: love bombing, mirroring, urgency 80% of scams are digitally enabled Only 8% of victims seek help quickly And too often, victims are blamed rather than believed Her message was clear: We must replace judgment with curiosity and care, and address the systemic failures that allow these crimes to flourish. Read the full recap and keynote highlights here ➜ https://lnkd.in/gb38KdpT

Recognize meaningful action in the fight against online abuse. The 🏆Mary Litynski Award 🏆celebrates a lifetime of dedicated service. 📅 Deadline for Nominations: Dec 1st, 2025 🔗 Nominate here: https://lnkd.in/e_fBB3T"

🤖 As AI threats evolve, outdated and fragmented AI policies are slowing our ability to respond. In our latest Public Policy Comments submission, M3AAWG calls on regulators to replace the confusing patchwork of state-level AI rules with clear, unified, and innovation-friendly frameworks. While the Request for Information in question focuses on regulatory frameworks within the U.S., as a worldwide membership organization, we are calling for international interoperability and harmonization of data protection and AI governance approaches as a priority of paramount importance in the broader AI policy conversation. 📄 Read more about the official comments: https://lnkd.in/gD-nhfZf

🔒 Cybersecurity Awareness Month Spotlight 🔒 Why does awareness matter in stopping online abuse? M3AAWG Expert Advisor Betsy Broder—consumer protection champion and former U.S. FTC leader—shares her powerful perspective. 🧠 “Consumer awareness is always a first line of defense—but it must be paired with real, enforceable tools,” she notes. 📣 M3AAWG is proud to be a 2025 Champion of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Read our full interview with Betsy: https://lnkd.in/gbq9-njk

M3AAWG submitted our official input on ICANN’s next Abuse Policy. 💡 Our recommendations reflect the voices of global anti-abuse professionals—prioritizing limits on bulk domain registrations and emphasizing the importance of binding, enforceable policy over voluntary best practices. Read the full discussion paper here: 📄 https://lnkd.in/gUsmR67j

And that's a wrap!  Thank You for Attending M3AAWG65! 🎉 A huge thank you to everyone who joined us in Charlotte for M3AAWG65! Your dedication, insights, and collaboration are what drive our mission forward in the fight against online abuse. Let’s keep the momentum going—our work doesn’t stop here! Safe travels & we look forward to seeing you at M3AAWG66 in San Diego, February 16–19, 2026. Until then, stay engaged, stay vigilant, and keep pushing for a safer digital world! 🌍💪

Big shout out to our Charlotte Meeting Sponsors. We are grateful for your generosity and continued support of M3AAWG. Thank you Bird, Bank of America, GreenArrow Email, Halon, Intuit Mailchimp, NCTA - The Internet & Television Association, Omnivery, Somos, Inc., University of North Carolina at Charlotte & Validity Inc.! Interested in sponsoring M3AAWG66? The San Diego Sponsorship page is live. https://lnkd.in/g2WztU8C