Overview

• FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson sent an Aug. 28 letter to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai warning that partisan spam filtering could trigger an investigation or enforcement under the FTC Act.
• The letter references reporting that tests found identical emails with WinRed links were filtered to spam while versions with ActBlue links reached inboxes.
• Google denies any political discrimination, saying Gmail relies on objective user signals and sender behavior, and it said it will review the letter and engage constructively.
• A federal judge previously dismissed the RNC’s lawsuit over Gmail filtering and the FEC rejected related complaints, while the RNC’s appeal remains pending.
• No formal FTC investigation has been announced, as the dispute continues within broader Republican allegations of tech platform bias.