Gmail wants to keep all spam out of your inbox

Google brags that Gmail filters are able to stop 99.9% of all spam, but they want to do even better. Is it possible for Gmail to become spam-free?

Google announced a number of improvements to Gmail spam filtering that includes applying machine learning technology, such as artificial neural networks to make filters smarter and new tools for businesses to ensure relevant mail always makes it into inboxes.

So what are Artificial Neural Networks? Well, they are essentially computers that mimic the connections of neurons in the brain, allowing the computers to “learn.” Google uses these to identify images, making things like reverse image search possible.  

For Gmail, the networks will be used to filter out phishing scams that can easily be mistaken for a legitimate email. You know, the ones that ask you to log into your Facebook account – but in fact they just want to steal your login details!

The boundary for what is considered spam varies from person to person, so the networks will adjust over time, learning which emails you might want in your inbox compared to what emails someone else might regard as spam.

Google is also bringing out Gmail Postmaster Tools, which will allow “qualified high-volume” senders to get better analytics on the emails they send. With the new tools, users will be able to better avoid sending messages that end up in anti-spam filters. After all, no one wants to check the spam folder for things like bank statements.

In the year 2012 Gmail missed 1% of spam messages, according to Google. Now, it only misses 0.1% of spam and only 0.05% of emails end up in the spam folder when it shouldn’t, but the company thinks it can even improve those figures!

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