CfA's July 15, 2022 Newsletter

• Google Student Loan Scams: On Wednesday, the Tech Transparency Project released a report revealing that nearly 1 in 8 ads served to Google users searching for information about student loan relief direct the user to websites that have characteristics of a financial scam. 
  • The findings come as the Biden administration mulls action on widespread student loan relief, with questions surrounding potential action sure to bring many borrowers to Google for answers.
  • Speaking to Bloomberg about TTP's findings, Ben Kaufman, director of research and investigations at the Student Borrower Protection Center, said that the current environment makes borrowers "catnip for these scammers."
  • The report was also covered by CNET, Ad Age, and others.

• Tell the FEC: Don't Let Google Bypass Spam Filters: Google has asked the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for permission to allow political fundraising emails to bypass its spam filters and go directly into its users' main inboxes.
  • Google's request is a response to criticism that it has received from some GOP politicians who falsely claim that the company's spam filter has a partisan bias. Apparently, Google's solution to avoiding the perception of bias is to equally subject everyone to even more spam emails than users receive now.
  • Campaign for Accountability submitted our own comment to the FEC on Monday, asking the agency to reject Google's request. You can read CfA's comment here.
  • If you agree that allowing more spammy political fundraising emails is a bad idea, you can make your voice heard by emailing the FEC by August 5. 

Follow Our Work:

1. Follow CfA on Twitter.
2. Follow the Tech Transparency Project on Twitter.
3. Tell your friends and colleagues about CfA. 
4. Send us a tip. 
5. Make a tax-deductible donation.