Gmail Spam: Google Will Now Tell You Why It Marked A Message As Spam

If you're a member of Nigerian royalty who buys Viagra and luxury wristwatches in bulk, you've probably been confused by how Gmail marks messages sent to you as 'Spam.'

Well, wonder no more, Your Bulk-Buying Highness: Google has announced that, from now on, Gmail will include a notification in each of your messages marked Spam that explains why that particular email has been flagged.

A "Why Is This Message In Spam?" information bar will appear above each Spam email you receive from now on. Here's one from my inbox:

(You know how I know this message is spam? The subject says that "Brooke is looking to make love," and then the body of the email is from someone named Kayla. Classic bait & switch!).

Now this may be fun, but Google, in the official blog post announcing the new feature, says this is about more than fun:

We hope that this is not only interesting, but also helps you learn about scams and other harmful messages that Gmail filters out. Whether you prefer to leave your spam folder untouched or do some educational digging, the information will be there for you.

The added feature is part of Google's larger push to educate its massive email user base about the dangers of Spam. The blog post also includes a link to a longer informational article about the ways in which spammers try to attack through email. That is in addition to Google's larger "Good to Know" campaign, a digital PSA of sorts that revolves around Internet privacy and safety in general.

Gmail's "Why Is This Spam?" notifications have already rolled out and should be in your Spam folder as of now. For answers to a bunch of commonly asked questions about Gmail -- including how to clear out all that spam at once -- check out our slideshow below: