On Thursday, the Federal Election Commission approved a new proposal from Google to prevent campaign emails from being flagged as spam.
Google’s plan, first reported by axios in June, candidates, political party committees, and political action committees of leaders could sign up for the program that exempts their messages from Gmail’s spam detection systems. While Google didn’t need the FEC to approve the plan before it rolled out, it sought a vote earlier this summer to ensure the program didn’t risk violating current election rules. In Thursday’s ruling, the FEC confirmed that Google’s plan was legal.
“It is hard to deny that this is a unique advantage offered to political committees, and only to political committees,” Commissioner Ellen L. Weintraub said at the FEC’s open meeting on Thursday. Because of the program’s exclusivity, Weintraub compared it to Google offering its own “in-kind” contribution to political groups.
Google announced its political filtering plans shortly after a recent investigation found that the company disproportionately marked Republican fundraising emails as spam compared to those from Democratic lawmakers and candidates. The study infuriated the GOP and inspired a flurry of critical statements and an invitation to Kent Walker, Google’s chief legal officer, to explain the company’s filtering decisions. in a private meeting on Capitol Hill.
“Our goal during this pilot program is to assess alternative ways to address bulk sender issues while giving users clear control over their inboxes to minimize junk email,” José Castañeda, a Google spokesperson, said in a statement to The edge on Thursday. “We will continue to monitor feedback as the pilot rolls out to ensure it achieves its goals.”
Despite Google offering the proposal as a concession, Google responded to the study’s findings, claiming that researchers examined a small sample of emails and failed to consider whether campaigns were using the appropriate bulk email tools already in place. were delivered within the service.
But Google’s statements failed to change their minds for Republicans struggling to meet their online fundraising goals this cycle. The New York Times reported last month that the total amount donated to GOP entities and federal campaigns fell by more than 12 percent in the second quarter compared to the first quarter. The drop is highly unusual, especially since small dollar donations traditionally increase as the election approaches.
That slump in fundraising combined with the controversial filter study roused Republicans over the summer. sen. John Thune (R-SD) and nearly two dozen other Republicans have introduced a bill that… would ban email providers like Google’s algorithmic sorting of federal campaign emails. In a draft memo obtained by: The Washington Post earlier this month, the National Republican Senatorial Committee argued that “Google and its algorithms have given a distinct advantage to Democrats’ fundraising efforts, causing Republicans to raise millions of dollars less than they should.”
After Google contacted the FEC with a request for a decision on its legality, the commission opened the program to public comment. Nearly all of the hundreds of comments submitted to the committee were negative. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) argued that Google’s proposal would be a boon to Republicans and open up Gmail to “offensive fundraising tactics.”
“It’s sad that, rather than simply stop sending spam emails, Republicans ran a bad faith pressurized campaign — and it’s even more unfortunate that Google bought it,” deputy deputy Daniel Wessel said. -communication director of DNC. The edge in June.
Former President Donald Trump’s campaigns have come under fire for using spam tactics in his emails to raise money, often using misleading subject lines or mimicking conversations voters may have with friends and family over the internet. . On Tuesday, the Republican nominee for the United States Senate in Pennsylvania, Dr. Mehmet Ozu came under fire for sending a fundraising email to supporters with the subject line “FBI RAID – BREAKING INFORMATION” just hours after the FBI searched Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago earlier this week.
With Thursday’s FEC decision, Google will soon allow campaigns like Oz’s to sign up for the program and ensure that their emails, despite using spam-like methods and language, don’t get out of their inboxes. a user can be filtered.
Updated on August 11, 2022 at 12:17 PM ET: Includes a statement from Google.
