Google is ending a controversial pilot program and will stop exempting political ads from automatic spam filters, a move that will delight and anger.
Google began a pilot program to exempt political email from automatic spam filtering in an effort to appease GOP claims that its filters unfairly targeted right-wing emails. Google disputed the claims, saying the GOP’s supporting study used flawed parameters.
According to The Washington Post, Google is now letting the pilot program end and will no longer exempt political emails.
“The RNC is wrong,” Google argued in a motion to dismiss the GOP’s complaint. “Gmail’s spam filtering policies apply equally to emails from all senders, whether they are politically affiliated or not.”
The news is sure to anger GOP politicians, but will be a big win for consumers who already struggle with a near-overwhelming amount of spam.