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But Gmail was able to find a simple, yet brilliant solution. This question got many spam filter developers flabbergasted. When the context is so large, how can a filter figure out what to do? Or simply emails that you don’t like and don’t want to see anymore. Gmail lets users decide what they want to receive What is spam to you? Of course, while those features had their areas for improvement, Gmail was nonetheless successful at keeping a large part of their users’ mailboxes spam-free. What nobody (including spammers) expected, however, was that Gmail greeted incoming spam messages with Optical Character Recognition, effectively deciphering the text hidden within the images and sending it where it belongs - to the Gmail spam folder.
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Naturally, when Gmail was introduced, many had concerns about spammers abusing the newly made email service just like they’ve done to other providers. Since images were able to slip through defense systems, many spammers used them as a loophole for pushing their messages without being detected by content and language filters. You probably can remember all those annoying banners with bright colors, shapes, and fonts that came out straight out of WordArt.
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Gmail was the first to combat image-based spam To further emphasize the power of assets behind the Gmail spam filter, let’s try to deconstruct it. Having all the resources you need is not enough to make something that remarkable. Gmail is a part of a huge artificial mind that learns, explores, analyzes, and adapts.
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One may think that in the age of supercomputers and all the data at Google’s fingertips, how can it NOT succeed at creating a smart and competent spam filter? What’s so special about it? Therefore, it’s their duty to keep up with cybercriminals’ shenanigans and constantly improve their defenses. Email service providers are responsible for tons of private data, including business correspondence, reports, financial information. Think of ‘Harder Better Faster’ by Daft Punk.Īnd, just like in the song, its work is never over. In that case, ‘devious’ is not the right word. Spammers are getting more and more devious in their attempts to smuggle their emails through the defense systems of your Gmail inbox.
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