# Using protect configurations in AWS End User Messaging SMS Use protect configurations to control which destination countries AWS End User Messaging SMS can send your messages to. By controlling which countries you allow messages to be sent to, you can avoid sending to countries with high message prices or countries you don't operate in. Each protect configuration contains individual allow and block country rules for SMS, MMS, and voice. Create separate protect configurations for each messaging use case to improve detection accuracy. Separating use cases like marketing notifications from login/sign-up enables more precise risk evaluation. Additionally, when one use case faces AIT, other use cases continue to deliver messages without any message filtering. You can use a protect configurations as the *account default*, with a configuration set, or in the *ProtectConfigurationId* parameter of the `SendMediaMessage`, `SendTextMessage`, or `SendVoiceMessage` commands. When set as an *account default*, a protect configuration will also affect messages sent through Amazon SNS, Amazon Cognito and `SendMessages`. The selection process for the *effective* protection configuration for a sending request is as follows: 1. *ProtectConfigurationId* – If a protection configuration is specified in the API request parameters, it will be used. 1. *ConfigurationSetName* – If no protection configuration is specified in the API request parameters, but a configuration set is specified and it has an associated protection configuration, then the protection configuration associated with this configuration set will be used. 1. *Account default* – If a protection configuration is not specified or available from 1 or 2, the *account default* protection configuration will be used. **Note** To use a protect configuration with other AWS services to send messages, like Amazon SNS or Amazon Pinpoint, you need to set your protect configuration as the *account default*. 1. *None* – The protect configuration will only be used if specified in a `SendTextMessage` API request. A protect configuration can be associated to multiple configuration sets, while a configuration set can only be associated with one protect configuration. There can only be one *account default* protect configuration at any time. The following example for `SendMediaMessage` has both a configuration set and protect configuration specified in the command. The protect configuration specified in the *ProtectConfigurationId* parameter is used regardless of whether the configuration set has an associated protect configuration or if there is an *account default* protect configuration. ``` aws pinpoint-sms-voice-v2 --region '{{us-east-1}}' send-media-message --destination-phone-number {{+12065550150}} --origination-identity {{+14255550120}} --message-body '{{text body}}' --media-urls '{{s3://s3-bucket/media_file.jpg}}' --configuration-set-name {{ConfigSetName}} --protect-configuration-id {{ProtectConfigId}} ``` Depending on your use case we recommend the following: + If you only need one set of country rules for all SMS, MMS, and voice you should create a protect configuration and associate it as your account *account default*. 1. Create a protect configuration by following the directions in [Create a protect configuration in AWS End User Messaging SMS](protect-configuration-create.md) and set the association as *account default*. 1. Edit the *Allow*, *Block*, *Monitor*, and *Filter* country rules for SMS, MMS, and voice by following the directions in [Change a protect configuration country rules in AWS End User Messaging SMS](protect-configuration-edit-countries.md). 1. Your *account default* protect configuration is now used for any message you send unless overridden by using the *ConfigurationSetName* or *ProtectConfigurationId*. + If your use case requires more granular controls and event logging you can associate the protect configuration with a configuration set. 1. If you don't already have a configuration set created then follow the directions at [Create a configuration set in AWS End User Messaging SMS](configuration-set-create.md) and we also recommend you setup an event destination to log SMS, MMS, and voice events. 1. Create a protect configuration by following the directions in [Create a protect configuration in AWS End User Messaging SMS](protect-configuration-create.md) and set the association as *configuration set* and choose one or more configuration sets. 1. Edit the *Allow*, *Block*, *Monitor*, and *Filter* country rules for SMS, MMS, and voice by following the directions in [Change a protect configuration country rules in AWS End User Messaging SMS](protect-configuration-edit-countries.md). 1. To use the protect configuration you need to pass the *ConfigurationSetName* in the of the `SendMediaMessage`, `SendTextMessage`, or `SendVoiceMessage` commands. + If your use case requires more granular controls you can create the protect configuration and use the protect configuration in the *ProtectConfigurationId* API parameter. 1. Create a protect configuration by following the directions in [Create a protect configuration in AWS End User Messaging SMS](protect-configuration-create.md) and set the association as *No association*. 1. Edit the *Allow*, *Block*, *Monitor*, and *Filter* country rules for SMS, MMS, and voice by following the directions in [Change a protect configuration country rules in AWS End User Messaging SMS](protect-configuration-edit-countries.md). 1. To use the protect configuration you need to pass the *ProtectConfigurationId* in the of the `SendMediaMessage`, `SendTextMessage`, or `SendVoiceMessage` commands. **Topics** + [Create a protect configuration](protect-configuration-create.md) + [Change country rules](protect-configuration-edit-countries.md) + [Change association](protect-configuration-edit-association.md) + [Delete a protect configuration](protect-configuration-delete.md) + [Set up deletion protection](protect-configuration-deletion-protection.md) + [Rename a protect configuration](protect-configuration-change-name.md) + [Manage tags for a protect configuration](protect-configuration-tags.md)