Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew Ferguson has raised concerns with Google, accusing the tech giant of potentially discriminating against Republican emails on its Gmail platform.
Ferguson's allegations suggest that Gmail's spam filters may be disproportionately blocking Republican political messages while allowing Democratic emails to pass through unimpeded.
In a letter dated August 28, addressed to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Ferguson expressed his apprehension regarding reports that Gmail's spam filters are more likely to flag Republican emails as spam compared to their Democratic counterparts. He cautioned that such actions might contravene federal regulations, potentially leading to an investigation.
"A consumers right to hear from candidates or parties, including solicitations for donations, is not diminished because that consumers political preferences may run counter to your companys or your employees political preferences," Ferguson stated in his letter.
He further emphasized, "If Gmails filters keep Americans from receiving speech they expect, or donating as they see fit, the filters may harm American consumers and may violate the FTC Acts prohibition of unfair or deceptive trade practices."
As reported by Conservative Daily News, a memo from Republican consulting firm Targeted Victory alleged that Gmail was directing emails containing links to the GOP fundraising platform, WinRed, into spam folders.
In contrast, emails linked to ActBlue, the primary fundraising platform for Democrats, were reportedly delivered without issue. This situation has fueled long-standing Republican accusations that Big Tech firms suppress conservative content and viewpoints.
In 2022, the Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit against Google, alleging that Gmail's spam filters were diverting its fundraising emails into spam folders, resulting in significant financial losses. Although a federal judge dismissed the case, the controversy continues to resonate within conservative circles.
A Google spokesperson responded to the allegations, asserting that the company would review Ferguson's letter and engage "constructively" on the matter. The spokesperson clarified, "Gmails spam filters look at a variety of objective signals like whether people mark a particular email as spam, or if a particular ad agency is sending a high volume of emails that are often marked by people as spam. This applies equally to all senders, regardless of political ideology."
Under President Trump's administration, the FTC prioritized addressing perceived Big Tech censorship and bias. In February, the commission initiated a public comment request, inviting Americans to share instances where they faced repercussions from companies for expressing politically disfavored speech.
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