Federal Trade Commission chair Andrew Ferguson has warned Google that Gmail’s spam filtering could face an FTC probe if it disproportionately affects Republican fundraising efforts.
In a letter to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Ferguson cited a New York Post report claiming Gmail flagged emails with links to the GOP platform WinRed as spam, while allowing similar emails linking to the Democratic platform ActBlue through.
“My understanding … is that Gmail’s spam filters routinely block messages from Republican senders but fail to block similar messages sent by Democrats,” Ferguson wrote, warning that this could constitute an unfair trade practice under the FTC Act.
Google pushed back, telling Axios that Gmail filters are based on objective signals, like user spam reports and bulk-sending patterns, and are applied “equally to all senders, regardless of political ideology.” The company said it will review the letter and “look forward to engaging constructively.”
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This is not the first time the issue has surfaced. In 2023, both the Federal Election Commission and a federal court dismissed Republican complaints about Gmail’s spam filters. Still, the RNC appears to be reviving its lawsuit.
