Category Archives: campaigns
“Facebook, Google and Twitter face proposed bill targeting shadowy political ads”
WaPo:
Democratic lawmakers are pushing for new legislation that would require greater disclosure of political ads that run on Internet platforms, despite a pledge by Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg that the company will voluntarily pull back the curtain on… Continue reading
“Open up the black box of political advertising”
Chris Elmendorf, Ann Ravel and Abby Wood in SF Chronicle:
Micro-targeted political advertising raises two sets of concerns:
It’s likely to exacerbate political polarization, and the erosion of broadly shared norms against hateful ideologies such as white supremacy. Political… Continue reading
“Facebook Is Now The Federal Election Commission, But With More Secrets”
Paul Blumenthal for HuffPo:
In what looked like a presidential address with a distinct Silicon Valley aesthetic, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed his private online nation of 2 billion users on Thursday from his glass-walled office space. He went live… Continue reading
“At Menendez Trial, Legal Wrestling Over Definition of ‘Constituent’”
NYT:
The prosecution, citing Black’s Law Dictionary, argued in a brief filed on Tuesday that “the straightforward answer is that Senator Menendez’s constituents are the New Jerseyans that he was elected to represent in the United States Senate.”
But the… Continue reading
“Exclusive: Russians Appear to Use Facebook to Push Trump Rallies in 17 U.S. Cities”
Daily Beast:
Suspected Russia propagandists on Facebook tried to organize more than a dozen pro-Trump rallies in Florida during last year’s election, The Daily Beast has learned.
The demonstrations—at least one of which was promoted online by local pro-Trump activists—… Continue reading
George Will on Hasen on Volokh on Cheap Speech
New syndicated George Will column:
Volokh anticipated today’s a la carte world of instant, inexpensive electronic distributions of only such content as pleases particular individuals. In 1995, he said that “letting a user configure his own mix of materials” can… Continue reading
“Trump Is Using Targeted Facebook Ads To Reassure Supporters He Will Build The Border Wall”
BuzzFeed:
The personal Facebook page of Vice President Mike Pence is also running a version of the ad. One difference between the Pence and Trump ads is the VP’s refers to “Fake News media,” while Trump’s calls out the “mainstream… Continue reading
Republican Governors Association Launches News Site, Doesn’t Reveal Its Backing until AP Asks
AP:
The Republican Governors Association has quietly launched an online publication that looks like a media outlet and is branded as such on social media. The Free Telegraph blares headlines about the virtues of GOP governors, while framing Democrats negatively.… Continue reading
“How the FEC Turned a Blind Eye to Foreign Meddling”
Ann Ravel for Politico:
I suggested to the commission that the FEC consult with internet and tech experts to discuss how the agency’s current approach may or may not fit with future innovations. Starting this conversation should have been noncontroversial,… Continue reading
“Elite Political Ignorance: Law, Data, and the Representation of (Mis)Perceived Electorates”
Chris Elmendorf and Abby Wood have posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract:
It is common to think of political elites—candidates, legislators, party officials, and campaign advisers—as specialists in learning the preferences of voters. But recent studies find… Continue reading