The FTC thinks Gmail is discriminating with “partisan” spam filters

• The US FTC Chairman has written directly to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai
• Andrew Ferguson accuses Gmail of having “partisan” spam filters
• Google said filters “apply equally… regardless of political ideology”

FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson has accused Google of “partisan” Gmail spam filtering which discriminates against certain political parties.

In a letter to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai dated August 28, 2025, Ferguson claimed Republican fundraising emails are being flagged as spam, while Democratic emails continue to be delivered successfully.

Ferguson warned this could violate the FTC Act’s prohibition of unfair or deceptive trade practices, suggesting that an investigation and possible enforcement could be on the cards.

Gmail once again targeted over political email spam filtering

“My understanding from ...