APP Asks FEC for Investigation of Big Tech
Today, in a letter sent to the Federal Election Commission, American Principles Project inquired about a potential violation of campaign finance law by Big Tech companies in the U.S. House race in Florida’s 21st Congressional District.
Jon Schweppe, director of policy and government affairs at American Principles Project, and co-author of the report “Protecting Free Speech and Defending Kids: A Proposal to Amend Section 230, expressed skepticism as to whether Big Tech companies like Facebook and Twitter could legally offer a “material benefit” to one candidate while denying the same benefit to another under existing campaign finance law:
Can these tech companies legally grant a material benefit to one political candidate, but not another? Can they deny one political candidate access to their services and platforms, while granting full access to another? Does this not amount to an in-kind contribution to the favored candidate?
I respectfully ask that the FEC investigate these concerns… both with regard to this specific race, and to the FEC’s broad application of campaign finance law in future races…
The APP letter to FEC Commissioners James Trainor III, Steven Walther and Ellen Weintraub can be found here.
To schedule an interview with Jon Schweppe, contact Paul Dupont at (o) 202-503-2010 or pdupont@americanprinciplesproject.org.