Skip to main content

What is the Abuse Reporting Format (ARF)?

**ARF** (Abuse Reporting Format) is a standardized format for abuse reports. It structures complaint information: original message, reporter details, and complaint type. Standardization enables automated processing.

Structure: multipart MIME message containing human-readable summary, machine-readable report metadata, and original offending message. Receiving systems can parse automatically.

Usage: feedback loops use **ARF** to report spam complaints from recipients back to senders. Abuse reports between organizations often use **ARF** for consistent, processable format.