The Federal Trade Commission warns Google not to filter Republican emails, and Google argues that its spam filters are not biased
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew Ferguson has sent a letter to Google accusing it of biased filtering in Gmail and demanding that it address the issue.
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson Issues Letter on Gmail Using Partisan Filtering | Federal Trade Commission
FTC chair alleges partisan filtering by Gmail; Google says spam filters not ideology | Reuters
Chairman Ferguson stated, 'We are a consumer protection agency responsible for protecting American consumers from unfair or deceptive acts and practices,' before adding, 'From my understanding from recent reports, Google's Gmail filtering appears to be biased, routinely blocking messages from Republican supporters while not blocking similar messages from Democrats.' He also noted that Gmail filtering may have partisan intent, saying, 'By sending this letter, I am notifying you that Alphabet (Google's parent company) may be engaging in unfair or deceptive acts and practices.'
A Google spokesperson disputed the claim, saying, 'Gmail's spam filters apply equally to everyone, regardless of political affiliation,' adding, 'We will review the letter and work constructively with you.'
A spokesperson said Gmail's spam filters are applied based on a variety of signals, including whether users mark messages as spam or whether advertising agencies send high-volume emails that users often mark as spam.
In 2022, similar reports emerged that Gmail was more likely to flag emails from Republican lawmakers as spam, so Google was working on a pilot program to classify political campaign emails as spam.
Gmail launches test to prevent political campaign emails from being treated as spam - GIGAZINE
'Sending information from candidates and receiving information and messages from political parties is essential to the exercise of fundamental American freedoms and First Amendment rights,' Ferguson said. 'Consumers expect to hear from the candidates and political parties of their choice. When Gmail filtering prevents people from expressing their opinions or making donations based on their own discretion, the filters harm consumers and may violate the FTC Act.'
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