Twitter has agreed to pay $100,000 to Washington state to settle allegations of campaign finance violations. The settlement, reached with the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC), stems from Twitter’s failure to adequately disclose information about political advertisers on its platform. Specifically, the PDC found that Twitter did not properly reveal the identities of those who paid for political ads, nor the amounts they spent.
Washington state law requires transparency in political advertising to ensure voters know who is funding the messages they see. The PDC has been actively enforcing these laws against social media companies, including Facebook/Meta, which have faced similar scrutiny in the past. The $100,000 penalty is intended to address Twitter’s past non-compliance and compel them to improve disclosure practices going forward.
The settlement requires Twitter to implement measures that ensure compliance with Washington’s campaign finance regulations. This includes enhancing its systems for collecting and reporting information about political advertisers. The PDC emphasized the importance of transparency in political advertising, stating that voters have a right to know who is attempting to influence their decisions. This action highlights the ongoing effort to regulate online political advertising and ensure fairness and transparency in elections.
