Overview

• FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson sent a letter to CEO Sundar Pichai alleging Gmail more often routes Republican emails to spam than similar messages from Democrats.
• The agency cautioned that filtering that blocks expected political messages or donations could harm consumers under the FTC Act and signaled possible investigation or enforcement.
• Google rejected any partisan targeting, saying Gmail relies on objective signals like user behavior and sending patterns, and it pledged to review the letter and engage constructively.
• Previous challenges were tossed, including a federal judge’s dismissal of the RNC’s lawsuit and an FEC review that did not substantiate claims of bias.
• Alphabet shares rose roughly 2% following the disclosure of the FTC’s warning, according to market data reported by Benzinga.