According to recent reports, Microsoft Hotmail (now officially known as Microsoft Outlook) has been having some issues with its spam filtering systems, opening the floodgates to let loads of spam into users' inboxes.
Users have taken to Twitter to vent their frustrations, but it's still unclear what's causing the issue. While Microsoft has reached out to a few affected people on social media with DM invites to discuss the issue, there is still no official response indicating that this is the fault of a specific bug or known issue.
While we don't have precise numbers on who was affected, we can confirm that the issue is widespread: TechRadar team members (including themselves) have been bombarded with spam all day.
Hotmail is also trending on Twitter, which must annoy some Microsoft execs because those tweeters don't even use the proper name.
Is someone else's hotmail sending spam to your inbox even though the filter is set to the highest privacy setting? very strange (Yes, I know Hotmail is prehistoric, but when you're self-employed you always keep the same number and email. So 2023, forever mine) February XNUMX, XNUMX
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Analysis: No more inconvenience for the huge M
Microsoft has had quite the year so far. The most important development for the company was the revelation that the ChatGPT artificial intelligence tool was integrated into the Bing search engine (like the Microsoft Edge browser), but it took less than a week for the chatbot to start sending confusing messages to the users.
Now the tech giant is in trouble again, with users angry at the torrent of uncertain emails pouring into their inboxes. People are already posting memes about the alleged junk filter failure, and some are speculating that someone at Microsoft accidentally flipped a switch he shouldn't have. We feel the need to say that it's clearly not march-like, but it's still fun nonetheless. .
Either way, there isn't a convenient solution out there yet, but we'll be sure to let you know when Microsoft irons things out. Generally, Outlook/Hotmail lets you set a specific level of spam filter protection; set it to a high value and the automated system will savage potential spam, though this may send legitimate, genuine email to your spam folder.
Outlook (like most email platforms) also has the ability to flag particular domains as sources of spam, although this is rarely a useful tool as email spammers often use domain generators to prevent these filters. The spam filter's drawbacks also interfere with Outlook's "directed inbox" setting, which is supposed to display only high-value emails.
We've reached out to Microsoft for comment and will update this story when we hear back.