Shadow Ads, Leonard Leo’s War Chest, and Tech’s Deep Fake Policies
View this email in your browser ([link removed])
** CfA's September 20, 2024 Newsletter
------------------------------------------------------------
With your support, Campaign for Accountability is working to expose corruption and hold the powerful accountable.
** This Week's Updates:
------------------------------------------------------------
TTP Report Exposes Continued Political Advertising Failures at Meta
With U.S. elections just seven weeks away, Meta is still allowing users to buy and sell accounts approved to run political advertisements, according to a new report ([link removed]) by CfA’s Tech Transparency Project (TTP). Meta’s own community standards ([link removed]) prohibit users from buying and selling platform assets, which include accounts. This policy is particularly important for political advertisements, which can be used to spread disinformation, hate speech, or calls to violence. Instead of enforcing these rules, though, Meta has turned a blind eye to large Facebook groups that are used to sell accounts, a problem that TTP has documented ([link removed]) since November of 2022.
In this latest report ([link removed]) , researchers identified multiple Facebook users claiming to sell accounts that could run political ads in the United States. One public Facebook group, called “cloning Ids,” had over 21,000 members and was filled with posts seeking to sell Facebook accounts and stolen identity documents. TTP noticed similar account-selling activity ([link removed]) during India’s election, which may have contributed to a flood of “shadow ([link removed]) ” advertisements that could not be traced back to a candidate or party. One study ([link removed]) , published by the non-profit Ekō in collaboration with Indian civil society groups, estimated that over a fifth of
political ads on Meta’s platforms had been placed by these shadow advertisers in the months leading up to the election.
CfA Research Highlighted in New York Times Op-Ed
On Wednesday, New York Times political columnist Thomas Edsall wrote an op-ed ([link removed]) on Leonard Leo’s complicated network of non-profits and private businesses, which have allowed him to finance attacks on reproductive rights ([link removed]) and remake ([link removed]) the federal judiciary. Edsall points out that Leo currently controls more money than both parties have in their Congressional and Senatorial committees combined – fueled primarily by a $1.6 billion donation ([link removed]) made in 2022 by conservative businessman Barre Seid.
Edsall’s op-ed goes on to cite a 2023 complaint ([link removed]) filed by CfA, urging the IRS to investigate whether multiple tax-exempt organizations linked to Leo had improperly diverted funds to his private businesses. These non-profits included the Federalist Society, the Concord Fund, and the Marble Freedom trust, among others. Leo’s personal spending patterns began to shift after the payments began; he has since paid off a mortgage, purchased two multi-million-dollar vacation homes, and pledged $1 million to Vatican initiatives.
Sen. Ossoff Pushes Tech Executives on Deepfake Polices
This week, the Senate Intelligence committee held a hearing ([link removed]) to discuss foreign threats to elections, including the proliferation of deepfake photos and videos on social media. While companies like Meta and Google have announced ([link removed]) efforts to build “AI detection tools,” tech trade associations are pushing back ([link removed]) on AI disclaimers and arguing ([link removed]) that new deepfake regulations are unnecessary. During the hearing, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) questioned ([link removed]) Meta Head of Global Affairs Nick Clegg about his company’s approach to deepfakes of political candidates; Clegg answered that the media would be “labeled” and that its circulation would be demoted by Meta’s algorithms. Google Chief Legal Officer Kent
Walker added that his team would notify the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force ([link removed]) if inauthentic media began to circulate on one of Google’s platforms – presumably YouTube.
While these procedures might seem adequate, technology companies have no obligation to follow or enforce them. There are also fewer independent organizations working to monitor political disinformation campaigns, as Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) noted ([link removed]) in his opening testimony. This is due, in part, to a flood of attacks ([link removed]) on academic researchers who have been targeted by lawsuits and Republican-led congressional investigations.
What We're Reading
FTC sues drug middlemen for allegedly inflating insulin prices ([link removed])
Afraid to Seek Care Amid Georgia’s Abortion Ban, She Stayed at Home and Died ([link removed])
In an Unprecedented Move, Ohio Is Funding the Construction of Private Religious Schools ([link removed])
** Follow Our Work:
------------------------------------------------------------
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
============================================================
** Website ([link removed])
Copyright © 2024 Campaign for Accountability, All rights reserved.
You signed up for this list at campaignforaccountability.org
Our mailing address is:
Campaign for Accountability
611 Pennsylvania Ave SE
#337
Washington, District Of Columbia 20003
USA
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
.
Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp
[link removed]
