Google vs GOP Fight Escalates

Leave a CommentGoogle vs GOP Fight EscalatesANews, Survival

According to the GOP when they send email on most days as many as 90-100% of RNC emails hit the main inbox of the intended recipient. On critical fundraising dates however, the emails are all but assured to be hidden away as spam, reaching as few as zero percent of Gmail inboxes.

The Republican National Committee is pissed off. Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has claimed in a statement to Axios that Google has “systematically attacked” its digital program. The RNC claims Google’s Gmail, the nation’s top email client, has been suppressing fundraising emails during strategically critical periods this year.

So, Google and GOP are at odds. According to Axios

Google told Axios its spam filter is thoroughly apolitical, and that it’s taking steps to ensure political messages aren’t inadvertently flagged.

The details: The RNC shared internal data showing regular and dramatic increases in the number of its fundraising and voter-activation emails being sent to Gmail recipients’ spam folder.

  • Ordinarily, the committee said, Gmail flags up to 10% of its emails as spam.
  • But it says during the final four days of every month since December 2021 — a crucial period for digital fundraising operations — that number has skyrocketed to 100% or close to it, even as the rate of emails marked as spam by recipients remains steady.
  • “These are emails that go to our most engaged, opt-in supporters without any increase in user complaints, changes to the content, email frequency or target audiences that could account for the suppression,” McDaniel said.
  • The RNC said it’s flagged the issue for Google, but that the company has not provided a plausible explanation. 

More here.