Misleading Ads, Twitter Chaos, and Transparency Reforms
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** CfA's November 11, 2022 Newsletter
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Thank you for your continued support of Campaign for Accountability. We're dedicated to continue working to hold the powerful accountable.
** This Week's Updates:
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Misleading Voting Ads Lurk in Google Search Results: On Monday, CfA's Tech Transparency Project (TTP) released a report ([link removed]) on the scammy, misleading advertisements that Google served in searches related to voting. Some ads prompted users to pay for freely-available information about their voter registration, while others trapped users in an endless cycle of third-party search engines, which provided low-quality results alongside a barrage of additional ads.
Google promised to tackle misleading ads surrounding elections back in 2020, but another TTP report ([link removed]) demonstrated that they hadn't been successful. It is disappointing that, two years later, Google still isn't adequately protecting its users from scammers set on exploiting people's desires to become better informed.
Twitter Grapples with Misinformation, FTC Compliance: Under new management and with sharply reduced staff, Twitter struggled ([link removed]) to crack down on misinformation ahead of the midterms. And their troubles didn't stop there. Shortly after the election, reporting from The Verge ([link removed]) revealed that Twitter had lost top legal staff in charge of FTC compliance, leaving engineers to "self-certify" their work.
Ballot Measures a Boost for Transparency: This was easy to miss in the chaos of Election Day, but multiple states passed ballot measures designed to strengthen accountability and crack down on campaign finance loopholes. In Michigan, elected officials will be required to submit financial disclosures ([link removed]) containing information about assets, liabilities, income, positions held, and more (leaving Idaho as the only state where lawmakers can keep that information private). Meanwhile, Arizona voters succeeded in establishing new transparency standards ([link removed]) for dark money groups, which must now reveal the identities of their top donors.
** What We're Reading:
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* Federal Trade Commission to Expand Use of Law Against Anticompetitive Practices ([link removed])
On Thursday, the FTC announced that it would be ramping up its power to regulate anti-competitive behavior. In a briefing with reporters, FTC chair Lina Khan hinted that certain practices in the tech sector could come under scrutiny.
* Elon Musk’s $8 Checkmarks Prove to Be a Twitter Misinformation Disaster ([link removed])
On Twitter, a blue checkmark (which was once a signal of a user's authenticity) can now be bought for a mere $8 a month. Trolls and spoof accounts appeared almost immediately, and while Twitter staff implemented a number of quick fixes, it's undeniable that content moderation has slowed.
* U.S. judiciary launches online database of judges' financial disclosures ([link removed])
Thanks to the bipartisan Courthouse Ethics and Transparency Act, you can now view federal judges' financial disclosures through an accessible, online database.
** 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 Twitter ([link removed]) .
2. Follow the Tech Transparency Project on Twitter ([link removed]) .
3. Tell your friends and colleagues ([link removed]) about CfA.
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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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