This is the Daily Media Update published by the Institute for Free Speech. For press inquiries, please contact [email protected].  

OpenSecrets: Federal Election Commission passes new digital ad disclosure rule

By Taylor Giorno

.....The Federal Election Commission passed a new digital ad transparency rule on Thursday requiring anyone who places political advertising on the internet to disclose within the ad who paid for it. But a recent revision pulled back earlier language requiring those who promote digital political ads to disclose if they are being paid to do so…

The commission was set to consider the initial draft of the new rule in its Nov. 17 open meeting, which was canceled in the eleventh hour. 

Internal pushback from FEC commissioner Sean Cooksey on the “burdensome and confusing” requirements and concerns from free speech advocates prompted a second draft. The revised draft limited the scope of digital ad disclosure requirements from people who “placed or promoted” paid political ads on the internet to only those who placed them. 

Baptist News Global: Why was the Sills lawsuit filed in Alabama?

.... Amid the nationwide interest generated by the recent lawsuit brought by David and Mary Sills against the Southern Baptist Convention and 11 other defendants, some observers have raised a particular question: Why was this suit filed in Alabama, when none of the major parties reside there and none of the alleged misdeeds happened there?

The Institute for Free Speech has given Alabama an “F” on its scorecard of states protecting free speech. Alabama is one of 19 states receiving a failing grade from the watchdog group.

.....It has not been a good month at PayPal. “On November 3, the online payment platform was set to institute a policy change that would have fined users for “misinformation” at $2,500 per violation. Essentially, PayPal gave itself the ability to decide whether its users speech was true or false, and them fine them for speaking against their established orthodoxy. IFS previously drew attention to how dangerous these standards were for free expression. After predictable backlash and rapidly falling share prices, PayPal rescinded the policy and said it was an error.

But the uproar also brought attention to another controversial fine (in place for over a year) which allowed PayPal to fine users $2,500 for the “promotion of hate, violence, racial or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory” and “items that are considered obscene” and take the money directly from user accounts. After yet more backlash, PayPal issued a statement saying that PayPal will not fine users for violations of their Acceptable Use Policy.

Wall Street Journal: New York State Wants to Conscript Me to Violate the Constitution

.....New York politicians are slapping a badge on my chest. A law going into effect Saturday requires social-media networks, including any site that allows comments, to publish a plan for responding to alleged hate speech by users.

[Ed. note: Read more about the lawsuit from FIRE's press release.]

Washington Post ("The Technology 202"): FEC expands digital ad disclosure rules, but watchdogs say gaps remain

By Cristiano Lima

.....Democratic FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, who backed the initial rule but abstained from backing the tweaked version, told me: “There are always people who try to exploit any gap in the regulations. I think we are better off with the word promoted in the regulation.”

GOP Commissioner Sean Cooksey, who opposed the expanded version, said it could have “unduly” burdened political speech by regulating cases where groups pay to expand the viewership of their posts or pay staff or individuals to engage in “grass-roots organizing.” 

[Ed. note: see also, statement of Commissioner Sean J. Cooksey and statement of Chairman Allen Dickerson and Commissioner James E. "Trey" Trainor.]

Insider: Stolen checks, fraudulent activity: three major trade association PACs fell victim to theft in what's become a political epidemic

.....The political action committees of three major trade associations each reported falling victim to stolen checks and fraudulent bank activity this election cycle, according to an Insider analysis of Federal Election Commission records.

Reason: Kanye's Suspension Shows Musk Twitter Might Look a Lot Like…Old Twitter

.....Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, was suspended from Twitter yesterday after posting an image of a swastika inside the Star of David. Ye also defended Nazis and said he likes Hitler during a Thursday live chat with Infowars' Alex Jones.

Chicago Sun-Times: Despite ban on lobbyists’ campaign money, Lightfoot took $53K from lobbyist’s companies

By Tim Novak and Frank Main

.....More than a decade ago, then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel issued an executive order that prohibited him and future mayors from taking any campaign money from lobbyists.

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