The Spam Eating Monkey SEM-FRESH15 is a domain-based blocklist (blacklist) that operates on a specific policy: it lists domains that were first registered within the last 15 days. It is a type of URIBL, meaning it focuses on domain names found in the body of emails rather than the sender's IP address. Mail server administrators use this list as part of their filtering systems to identify and score messages that might be suspicious due to the newness of the domains they contain.
Technically, when a system checks a domain against this blacklist, it queries the zone fresh15.spameatingmonkey.net. A positive match, indicating the domain is listed, returns a 127.0.0.2 response. For example, administrators can integrate this blocklist directly into their mail server software, like SpamAssassin or Postfix, to assign a score to incoming emails. In SpamAssassin, it's often configured to add a small score (e.g., 0.5) to a message, which contributes to the overall spam score but doesn't typically block the email on its own.
The SEM-FRESH15 blacklist is operated by SpamEatingMonkey.com. The organization provides real-time IP and domain reputation data to help prevent the delivery of spam. They emphasize that they do not block mail directly. Instead, they provide data, and it is the administrator of the recipient's mail server who decides what action to take based on that information. SpamEatingMonkey.com states that their data is provided "as is" and should be used in scoring systems rather than for outright blocking of messages.
Removal from the Spam Eating Monkey SEM-FRESH15 blocklist is an automatic process. Since the list's policy is to only include domains registered within the last 15 days, any listed domain is automatically removed after this 15-day period expires. There is no manual delisting process, and no action is required from you to be removed. You simply need to wait for the 15-day window to pass.
The impact of being listed on the Spam Eating Monkey SEM-FRESH15 blacklist is generally considered low. While a listing on any blocklist can affect your email deliverability, several factors mitigate the impact of this specific one:
Therefore, while your new domain is on this list, some emails might face slightly higher scrutiny, but widespread delivery failures are unlikely.