DomainKeys Identified Mail, or DKIM, is a system for verifying the genuineness of an email message by using an electronic signature. When DomainKeys Identified Mail is activated for a particular domain, a public encryption key is published to the global Domain Name System and a private one is kept on the mail server. If a new message is sent, a signature is generated using the private key and when the email is received, that signature is ‘scanned’ by the receiving server using the public key. In this way, the recipient can easily tell if the email message is legitimate or if the sender’s email address has been spoofed. A discrepancy will occur if the content of the email message has been changed on its way as well, so DomainKeys Identified Mail can also be used to make sure that the sent and the delivered email messages are identical and that nothing has been added or erased. This validation system will heighten your email security, as you can verify the legitimacy of the important emails that you receive and your partners can do likewise with the messages that you send them. Depending on the particular mail service provider’s adopted policy, an email message that fails the examination may be deleted or may appear in the receiver’s inbox with a warning sign.