Google has recently announced a new feature related to Gmail spam filters. From now on, in addition to pushing the offending emails to the spam folder where they await extinction, the spam filter is also going to tell you why it thinks a particular message is spam.
Spam – As explained by Google
The Gmail help center explains the parameters for considering a message as spam, which include:
- Phishing scams
- Messages from an unconfirmed sender
- Messages you marked as spam
- Similarity to suspicious messages
- Administrator-set policies
This means that from now on, Gmail will tell you which of these criteria applies to the email you are viewing in the spam folder. You can read up more on these individual factors in detail by visiting this official Google page.
Why this update?
Email spam is one of toughest challenges when it comes to digital communication today. There’s no telling how many users lose personal data and sensitive information because of email phishing scams, while at the same time, spoofing addresses leads to the loss of credibility of an innocent sender. This update comes as a part of Google’s continued efforts to educate users about email spam and how to stay ahead of it. Efforts like these are very helpful because it’s surprising to see how even the most advanced internet users sometimes fall for these scams.
Impact
The “Why Is This Spam?” development is likely to accelerate anti-spam efforts and help develop more intelligent filters to protect email communication. For instance, now you will be automatically protected from senders whose emails have been marked spam by a large number of users. Moreover, this will help users become more aware of the possibility of a fraudulent mail and equip them with quick checks that they can make to ensure that the email comes from a legitimate source.
At Octane, we appreciate Google’s actions in this regard and feel determined to strive even harder in our efforts to educate India about the menace of spam and limit its proliferation in our industry.
— Team Octane
