Washington, D.C. is extending an invitation to Silicon Valley.
The Federal Elections Commission has asked the CEOs of Facebook, Alphabet, and Twitter to return to the nation’s capital and testify on new rules that would change how online political ads are regulated.
Ellen Weintraub, vice chair of the commission, tweeted out her letters of invitation to Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Alphabet’s Larry Page, and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey to a hearing June 27.
Mark your calendars for June 27! @FEC is holding a public hearing that day on our proposed internet political-ad disclaimer rules. I am formally inviting @facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, @Google’s Larry Page, & @Twitter’s @Jack Dorsey to come to DC and testify before the Commission. pic.twitter.com/FZIUI47Ecd
— Ellen L Weintraub (@EllenLWeintraub) March 19, 2018
In her letter, Weintraub asked for the CEOs’ perspectives, “as we seek the best way to inform the American people about who is paying for the political information they see on your and other internet platforms.”
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Last week, the FEC voted to open public comment on new regulations that would require disclaimers on digital political ads, detailing who is funding them. In addition to the FEC rule, lawmakers in the House and Senate have introduced bills that would more strictly regulate political ads online.
Internet companies are facing increased scrutiny as details of Russia’s attempts to influence U.S. elections using technology come into focus. The three companies invited to the June hearing sent lawyers to Washington, D.C. last fall to testify before Congress on Russian meddling.