On March 21, 2024, the claim that Google was trying to interfere in the upcoming November election by suggesting Gmail users unsubscribe from mailings from former U.S. President Donald Trump went viral. Conservative social media influencers @Hodgetwins shared an iteration of that claim on X (formerly Twitter), which was later amplified by a repost from conservative influencer Catturd.
"Google is sending people notifications to unsubscribe from President Trump's emails," the Hodgetwins account posted." They are actively trying to steal the 2024 election."
This claim had no more basis in reality in 2024 than it did in 2018, when similar warnings circulated on Twitter.
(@DefytheHive/Twitter)
These and similar screenshots showed a Gmail feature originally introduced by Google in late 2017. It provides people with an easy way to unsubscribe from mailing lists they haven't opened in over a month. Contrary to what these viral posts implied, Google's recommendations have nothing to do with the specific content or sender of the email, as reported by Android Police in December 2017:
Ignoring spam messages can help keep your inbox clean. Inbox now asks if you'd like to unsubscribe from a sender's mailing list if you ignore their emails for a month.
The new feature works via a new "Inbox Tip" card that appears at the top of your inbox in both the Android app and desktop site. All it does is ask if you'd like to unsubscribe from a specific sender's emails, with buttons to unsubscribe or to ignore the tip.
All the Hodgetwins demonstrated with their screenshot was that they (or whoever may have sent it to them) hadn't read a word Trump emailed them in at least 30 days.
Because this Google feature is blind to the content it suggests for unsubscription, the claim that it targets Trump or could plausibly interfere in the 2024 election are False.