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Google's spam backdoor for Republicans — and they aren’t utilizing it

(Image Credit Google)
In what opponents accuse the Republican National Committee of doing in a bad-faith attempt to pressure Google into allowing them to spam user inboxes, the RNC is intensifying its battle with Gmail's spam filters just weeks before election day. Although the GOP has long decried technological unfairness, the most recent battle directly affects its fundraising strategy. In response, Google introduced a contentious feature that effectively lets campaign groups opt-out of spam filtering, which is a significant caveat to growing political pressure from Republicans.  However, according to Verge reporting, the RNC has not utilized the software and has not made many steps to change the fundamental behaviors that could cause their emails to be classified as spam. The decision is notable since Google was under considerable pressure to find a solution to safeguard Republican fundraiser emails.  When North Carolina State University published research in March revealing that Gmail's spam-filtering algorithms disproportionately flag messages sent from conservative political senders, the worries reached a boiling point. Republicans used the study's findings to launch a party-wide lobbying campaign against Google, claiming that the tech giant was deliberately stifling conservative voices and preventing them from raising money online.  Google built a spam backdoor for Republicans Sen. John Thune (R-SD) even went so far as to introduce a bill in June that was supported by prominent Republicans including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and effectively forbade email providers from filtering out any spam from authorized political senders. In the end, Google gave in and launched a new test program in September that allows candidates, political party committees, and other verified political entities to get beyond Gmail's spam filter. Officials and strategists from the Democratic Party decried the action, claiming that it merely encouraged Republicans to use "abusive fundraising practices."  However, the fact that the RNC chose not to even apply for the program implies that there may be more to the issue than just a seemingly unfair spam filter. In response to a request for comment, Google declined to address the specifics of the RNC's allegations but instead characterized the anti-spam tool as both restricted and experimental.  Google spokesperson José Castaeda said in a statement on Thursday that "eligible committees that will comply with tight security criteria and best practice standards can immediately register to participate in this pilot program recognized by the Federal Election Commission."

By Jozeph P

Journalism explorer, tech Enthusiast. Love to read and write.

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