Washington State Sues Facebook and Google over Alleged Campaign Finance Violations

The state of Washington has sued Silicon Valley giants Facebook and Google over alleged violations of state campaign finance laws.

Fox Business reported on Tuesday that the state of Washington is suing Facebook and Google over their alleged failure to disclose information about political advertising on their platforms. Under Washington State law, companies are required to provide information about purchasers of political advertisements to the public upon request. According to the suit, both Facebook and Google have been less than transparent with the political advertisements on their platforms.

“Washington’s political advertising disclosure laws apply to everyone, whether you are a small-town newspaper or a large corporation. Washingtonians have a right to know who’s paying for the political advertising they see,” Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a statement published in the report.

Just this week, the New York Times published a report this week that criticized Facebook for its lack of transparency with political ads that were published in California. The paid posts, which were an attack on California congressional candidate Regina Bateson, did not disclose that they were political advertisements paid for by a local progressive organization called Sierra Nevada Revolution.