Gmail removes controversial feature that harmed Republicans in US
What's the story
Google has removed a controversial feature from Gmail that was flagging Republican fundraising emails in US as "dangerous" and sending them directly to spam. The move comes after complaints from the GOP consulting firm Targeted Victory, which had warned clients about the issue. The firm found that emails with links to the GOP fundraising platform WinRed were being blocked and labeled with a red warning label saying they "seem dangerous."
Email bias
Accusations of bias against Google
Targeted Victory also found that fundraising pitches from the Democratic platform ActBlue were delivered without any issues. This led to accusations of Google suppressing Republican fundraising emails as part of a broader anti-conservative bias at the tech giant. A 2022 study by North Carolina State University researchers had already found Gmail flagged 59% more Republican fundraising emails as spam than Democratic ones ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Filtering controversy
Problem traced back to SURBL BV's blacklist
The problem with WinRed's emails was traced back to Google's reliance on SURBL BV, a Netherlands-based "intelligence and reputation services" firm. The company maintains datasets used to filter out potentially spammy emails, adding them to a "blacklist." However, after being contacted directly by WinRed about the apparent bias, SURBL BV agreed to remove WinRed from its blacklist on August 20.
Company statement
Google stops using SURBL data
After being contacted by The New York Post about the issue, Google stopped using SURBL's data in Gmail's filtering. "After a review found that our own advanced protections are the most effective way to protect users, we stopped incorporating SURBL as a signal," said Jose Castaneda, a spokesperson for Google. He added that Gmail uses hundreds of signals to catch spammy emails and SURBL was just one of them.
Foreign influence
Outrageous that Google relies on a foreign entity: WinRed CEO
Reacting to the issue, WinRed CEO Ryan Lyk said an overseas firm should never have been in a position to affect American political campaigns. "It's outrageous that Google relies on a foreign entity to limit US speech during elections," Lyk said. "That's foreign interference, plain and simple." He was also baffled by links to several "references" including details of a Canadian anti-spam law that doesn't apply to US companies.
Alert
Targeted Victory first alerted Google in June
Targeted Victory, whose clients include the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Rep. Steve Scalise, first alerted Google about the Gmail spam problem on June 30. However, it took weeks of back-and-forth before Google's support team confirmed that WinRed's links were being flagged as "suspicious" in its system. "This should alarm every campaign and committee that relies on email to connect with voters," Targeted Victory's memo said.