Sender Policy Framework

Imagine that you're playing tag with your friends, but sometimes someone else tries to join the game and you're not sure if they're really part of your team or not. That's kind of what happens with email, too - sometimes bad people (like spammers) try to send messages pretending to be someone they're not, and that can cause problems.

Sender Policy Framework (or SPF for short) is like a secret code that your email provider uses to check and see if the email you're receiving is actually from the person it says it's from. The code works by comparing the IP address of the email's sender to a list of approved addresses for that sender's domain (like "@google.com" or "@apple.com"). If the address matches, then the email is allowed to be delivered to your inbox. But if the address doesn't match or can't be verified, then the email is sent to your spam folder or even blocked altogether.

So, SPF is like a security agent that checks the "credentials" of an email sender, making sure that they're really who they say they are and not a bad actor trying to trick you. By using SPF, email providers can help keep your inbox safe from unwanted, fraudulent or malicious messages.