Election Denial Groups Focus on Voter Registration
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** CfA's March 8, 2024 Newsletter
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With your support, Campaign for Accountability is working to expose corruption and hold the powerful accountable.
** This Week's Updates:
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“True the Vote” Ramps Up Ahead of 2024 Election
The election denial group True the Vote (TTV) is undertaking a campaign to challenge voter registrations across the country, according to reporting ([link removed]) by the New York Times. Using software that pulls information from public records, TTV and its allies have already been able to remove over 1,000 voters in one Michigan suburb and plan to replicate the strategy in other states. These purges have been effective, even though the group was unable to provide evidence ([link removed]) of voter fraud to the state of Georgia in the aftermath of the 2020 election. In 2022, TTV leaders Katherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips were briefly jailed ([link removed]) because of their refusal to disclose the source of their claims. By avoiding litigation and focusing on mass
registration challenges, election denial groups may hope to avoid courtrooms while spreading distrust and slashing voter participation.
In 2023, CfA urged the IRS ([link removed]) to investigate TTV for improperly funneling money to senior employees of the organization, which operates as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3). CfA also filed a complaint ([link removed]) regarding illegal political activity undertaken by TTV, which declared itself a “partner” of the Georgia Republican Party in 2020.
The True Cost of Meta’s Integrity Layoffs
This week, a bipartisan group of 41 attorneys general wrote a letter ([link removed]) to Meta, calling on the company to address the flood of successful hacking attempts affecting individuals and small businesses. Unable to get help from Meta, constituents turn to their states, which have limited time and resources to address security failures. “We refuse to operate as the customer service representatives of your company,” the state AGs wrote, before asking Meta to supply information about its staffing levels and existing safeguards.
It wasn’t always this difficult for users to get support. In November 2022, Meta laid off ([link removed]) a significant portion of its security, privacy, and integrity workers, in order to cut costs for its “year of efficiency.” Plans for a true customer support system were also scrapped ([link removed]) . The impact of these layoffs was felt in a matter of months, as influencers and other large account holders reported ([link removed]) unaddressed issues with Meta’s platforms. Even Meta Verified users have struggled ([link removed]) to get help, despite paying $12 a month for the promise ([link removed]) of “proactive
impersonation monitoring” and “account support.”
Beyond these layoffs, Meta has also failed to stop obvious bad actors from using its own platforms to buy and sell stolen accounts. Over a year ago, CfA’s Tech Transparency Project (TTP) released a report ([link removed]) on Facebook’s black market for “Business Manager” accounts, which are approved by Meta to run advertisements. The accounts were openly sold on Facebook Groups, despite the platform’s rules against such transactions, and often appeared to have been stolen from legitimate businesses. Yesterday, a search conducted by TTP confirmed ([link removed]) that Meta has allowed this illicit activity to continue.
New Report Underscores Crypto’s Role in Sanctions Evasion
Over $24 billion in illicit funds were transferred via cryptocurrency in 2023, according to a report ([link removed]) released by a U.S.-based blockchain analysis group at the end of February. A growing percentage ([link removed].) of that activity was associated with sanctioned entities, including North Korean hacking groups and terrorist organizations like Hezbollah. Crypto proponents ([link removed]) frequently point out that the bulk of
money laundering is still carried out in cash, but this trend should still concern policymakers working to address organized crime and crack down on sanctions evasion.
While traditional financial institutions don’t always follow ([link removed]) anti-money laundering rules, they still operate with more oversight than many cryptocurrency exchanges. The emergence of “stablecoins” has also made it safer for criminals to put their money in crypto, because these currencies are pegged to the U.S. dollar and not subject to wild fluctuations.
What We're Reading
A new IRS program is helping its first users file their income taxes electronically. And it’s free ([link removed])
SEC approves rule requiring some companies to report greenhouse gas emissions. Legal challenges loom ([link removed])
Super PAC backing Robert Kennedy Jr. campaign accused of campaign finance violations ([link removed])
** Follow Our Work:
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We thank you for your continued support. Without people like you, our work would not be possible.
Here is how you can stay involved and help us accomplish our mission:
1. Follow CfA on Threads ([link removed]) and BlueSky ([link removed])
2. Follow the Tech Transparency Project on Threads ([link removed]) and Bluesky ([link removed])
3. Tell your friends and colleagues ([link removed]) about CfA.
4. Send us a tip ([link removed]) .
5. Make a tax-deductible donation ([link removed]) .
Be on the lookout for more updates about our work in the upcoming weeks. Thanks again for signing up to be a part of CfA!
Sincerely,
Michelle Kuppersmith
Executive Director, Campaign for Accountability
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