A group of tech giants is seeking permission from regulators to step up their political involvement, arguing that a plan to hold virtual fundraising events for candidates they support will “enhance participation in the democratic process.”
The move comes from the Internet Association, a trade organization representing companies including Facebook, Google and Twitter. The group detailed its plan in a 12-page request for an advisory opinion, filed with the Federal Election Commission on May 25.
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Specifically, the group would like to create an online platform that allows people from around the country to participate in virtual political events. “Rather than gather in a Washington conference room, attendees will log on to the system” and “see the candidate in real time, ask questions, share their views, and, if they desire, make a contribution to the candidate.”
The group said its political action committee would control which candidates are invited to use the platform, though it “might allow others to make use” of it and said it “certainly hopes that others” will invent their own.
The proposal added that events hosted by the Internet Association would focus on candidates’ views of the “Internet economy, issues affecting the Internet and Internet companies, and the state of the candidate’s campaign.”
The request was filed 16 days after a former Facebook employee alleged that the site routinely works to suppress conservative news and media outlets. Facebook has denied the allegation.
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The 36-member Internet Association, which refers to itself as “the unified voice of the Internet economy,” said it believes the proposal will “enhance participation in the democratic process, provide new ways for candidates to interact with the public, and expand the donor base.
“In many ways, by using Internet technology, [the Internet Association] plans to open up ‘Washington’ fundraising to the entire country,” the group said. “Rather than being limited to those who can afford to contribute a sufficient amount to attend a fundraising event and those who geographically can come to Washington, D.C… Internet technology [can] reinvent the traditional fundraiser and make it available to all, much like the Internet — and the companies that are members of IA — have revolutionized so many other industries.”
The FEC will issue an advisory opinion on whether the group should proceed by July 25.
