Slashdot Mirror
Democrats Ask FEC To Create New Rules To Keep Foreign Influence Off Social Media Ads (thehill.com)
Cristina Marcos reports via The Hill: Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday asked the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to establish new guidelines for online advertising platforms that would prevent foreign spending to influence U.S. elections. The move comes after Facebook provided information to Congress and special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the FBI's investigation into Russia's election interference, about Russian ad purchases during the 2016 campaign.
"The recent revelations that foreign nationals with suspected ties to the Russian government sought to influence the 2016 election through social media advertisements are deeply concerning and demand a response," 20 House and Senate Democrats wrote in the letter. "We are fast approaching the 2018 election cycle. As such, it is imperative the Federal Election Commission begin this effort in earnest," they wrote. CNN, which first reported on the Democrats' letter, cited Facebook sources saying they expect Congress may try to require disclaimers on online political ads in the future, similar to political television ads. The Democratic lawmakers suggested that any FEC guidance address how foreign actors can use corporate or nonprofit designations to avoid disclosing political spending; what advertisement platforms can do to prevent foreign campaign activity; and possible changes to disclosure standards for political advertisements.
"The recent revelations that foreign nationals with suspected ties to the Russian government sought to influence the 2016 election through social media advertisements are deeply concerning and demand a response," 20 House and Senate Democrats wrote in the letter. "We are fast approaching the 2018 election cycle. As such, it is imperative the Federal Election Commission begin this effort in earnest," they wrote. CNN, which first reported on the Democrats' letter, cited Facebook sources saying they expect Congress may try to require disclaimers on online political ads in the future, similar to political television ads. The Democratic lawmakers suggested that any FEC guidance address how foreign actors can use corporate or nonprofit designations to avoid disclosing political spending; what advertisement platforms can do to prevent foreign campaign activity; and possible changes to disclosure standards for political advertisements.
They don't also wan't to keep that influence out of our ballot boxes... and Across our Borders.
No.
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
Fuck you all. Fuck. Go head, mod me down. Social media is a scourge on society. FUCK YOU!
Please, there's no need to hold back on slashdot. Tell us how you really feel. ;)
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
And how much influence do foreign owned corporations exert in the US election cycle through their unlimited and unaccountable spending on party political advertising and campaigning. Then there's the issue of such corporations' influence over law-making through lobbying. Fake news and hacking political parties email accounts are the least of the US's worries in this respect.
Debate is a form of harassment. Do not question my truth.
...how these discussions and articles and pundents never mention... China... in the list of foreign influences on the USA?
It's not like China has ever directly involved themselves in our elections before...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... ... shit.
Of course, nobody gives a shit about AIPAC or Saudi Arabia.
There are already restrictions on campaign advertising. No one claims they violate the first amendment
It's been illegal for foreign nationals to purchase campaign ads for US elections since 1972. It's even illegal to sell campaign ads to foreign nationals (putting Facebook in some jeopardy in the event the Justice Department decides to enforce the law).
The letter from Dems to the FEC is a request for information from the commission explaining how they're going to meet this legal obligation in regard to social media advertising.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
This is a clear violation of the first amendment.
I wish the Supreme Court saw it this way, but they have already considered this matter in refusing to hear a case from a lower court which had decided that restrictions of foreign nationals' contributions or attempts to influence U.S. elections is not unconstitutional. (See Bluman vs. FEC.)
If I can be modded down for being a troll, can I be modded up for being an orc, or a balrog?
It’s not the first time incompetent judges appointed by the left failed to do their job.
Like some sort of "Cyber wall"?
Here we have Clinton, who asked the Ukraine for dirt on Trump during the election.
Clinton who lied under oath 7 times provably, and had her husband interfere with an investigation.
Clinton took on the order of $150 million in bribes from Russia while running the state department.
Clinton who literally rigged a national primary for the DNC to win it because she couldn't beat Sanders.
And you complain about Republicans and elections? You are quite possibly the dumbest person on /. these days, and that is including creimer. Don't worry, you are so stupid you will still blindly vote DNC straight down the ticket no matter how corrupt they are or how badly they treat the middle class, because a rock has more common sense than you.
Liberals have hit peak stupidity. They support people who literally rig elections while complaining about a couple Facebook ads that "might" have been bought by Russia. They ignore actual election fraud, support those who commit it, and then complain about freedom of speech. Yes, we have hit peak stupidity with PopeRatzo.
The US has been interfering with foreign elections for over 60 years. Even a Liberal rag admits it: http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-us-intervention-foreign-elections-20161213-story.html
Democrats are pissed for having their dirty laundry aired, as if they felt that only Republicans should have their's aired. The facts remain that all of the leaked emails and social ads were merely revealing the truth about how crooked the DNC had become.
The first decent proposal in this whole thread!
Imagine the Russians fomenting a coup in Mexico that put into power fervently anti-US groups willing to go to war
That already happened, albeit a while ago (early in the Mexican Revolution). Better examples would be Cuba and Nicaragua.
You are mistaken. Not only do restrictions on campaign advertising violate the First Amendment, the laws they are written do the reverse of their claimed purpose. The restrictions on campaign advertising are mostly written into "campaign finance reform" laws (or regulations created to enforce those laws), which were promoted as a way to get money out of politics...often with the argument that getting money out of politics would make it easier to remove incumbents from office. The result of all of our campaign finance reform laws has been to increase how much it costs to get elected and to make it harder for an incumbent to get voted out of office.
The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. James Madison
If it wasn't good then the US wouldn't be interfering in the elections of other countries so often.
If only illegal immigrants counted as a foreign influence to Democrats. Make no mistake, both parties sell you down the river, they just sell you to slightly different parties and word it differently though the net result is much the same.
Just as soon as they also outlaw out-of-state contributions to local elections. National parties like the DNC and GOP shouldn't be allowed to contribute to local elections at all. Someone from a neighbouring city shouldn't be allowed to contribute to my local mayoral election. Where does it end?
The game designer I knew (not that well) back in Austin?
Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.