Posted on 03/26/2018 2:51:51 PM PDT by blam
Controversy continues to swirl around how the consulting firm Cambridge Analytica obtained personal data from over 50 million Facebook users without their knowledge and used it to target ads to individuals in an effort to help Donald Trump be elected president in 2016.
But a more serious case of apparent misconduct involves Facebook data going to a different presidential campaign – this time in 2012. In this case, which is getting far less attention, Facebook reportedly voluntarily provided data on millions of its users to the re-election campaign of President Obama.
If true, such action by Facebook may constitute a major violation of federal campaign finance law as an illegal corporate campaign contribution. The matter should be investigated by the Federal Election Commission – an agency I am quite familiar with, because I served as one of its commissioners from 2006 to 2007. The commission enforces campaign finance laws for congressional and presidential elections.
A federal law bans corporations from making “direct or indirect” contributions to federal candidates. That ban extends beyond cash contributions to “any services, or anything of value.” In other words, corporations cannot provide federal candidates with free services of any kind. Under the Federal Election Commission’s regulations, “anything of value” includes any “in-kind contribution.”
Whether or not the Obama campaign and Facebook violated this ban is an open question. It should be investigated by the Federal Election Commission and potentially the U.S. Department of Justice.
For example, if a corporation decided to offer a presidential candidate free office space, that would violate federal law. Corporations can certainly offer their services, including office space, to federal campaigns. But the campaigns are required to pay the fair market value for such services or rental properties.
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(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
It's okay. It was just a mistake by the over-exuberant, youthful employees at Facebook, kids making mistakes, if you will.
Nah its only evil when Trump’s people access it..then its HORRIBLE..but when Obama’s people do it, considering facebook is run by leftists its all good
Let us NOT forget that CBS,NBC,ABC,CNN,MSNBC ALL withheld information regarding Hillary.DNC,Fusion,Russia in a concerted effort to sway public opinion.
Doesn’t that make Every Last Nickel they earned in Revenue for the Entire Campaign an “Illegal In-Kind Contribution” to a Presidential Campaign?? you bet it does.
How about a class action lawsuit? Is that possible? Might bring those bastards down to their knees.
Yes.
I was just about to say the same thing, it looks to me like Zuckerpig might be Liable for Big Bucks, with 50-100 Million plaintiiff’s in a class action suit could WIPE HIM OUT ENTIRELY!!!
Where are the Ads by Lawyers for this??
FR POSTED——(hat tip Oldexpat) Facebook’s takeover by the Obama campaign is one thing.
Does it also mean Obama’s NSA and other US intel agencies are hard-wired to F/B?
<><> what exactly did Zuckerberg do to help Obama (and Hillary) get elected?
<><>did Obama (and Hillary) get F/B users personal info?
<><> are US intel agencies in cahoots with Zuckerburg?
We MUST determine this ASAP.
ANALYSIS-—Obama’s police state ran roughshod over Americans. No doubt, he also surveilled Democrats, to get info to enforce loyalty to him......
Remember O/Care’s straight party line Dem vote? Democrats marching in lockstep, echoing Obama word-for-word?
How’d Obama do that?
When I first saw the article about how Facebook let Obama’s team “explore” their databases, I wondered how that wasn’t an in-kind campaign contribution. I guess this story will get shut down quick once the MSM realizes that its going to come back to bite their golden boy on the ass.
Monitoring is too polite of a word. Facebook is spying on its users. This is an outrage.
We also have to ask....
<><>did the Obama (and Hillary) campaign get any of this clandestine spying info?
<><> what exactly did Zuckerburg do to help Obama (and Hillary) get elected?
I have always maintained that what the MSM does for the Democrat Party constitutes in-kind political donations.
These cute little ‘favors’ better be written up as ‘donations’....
Yes a Violation
Ya know what? Let’s get that smug Never-Trumper GHW Bush lawyer who was on the Stormy 60 minutes bombshow last night and ask him to compare this multi-million dollar ‘in-kind’ contribution from FB to Obama compared to Trump’s friend and lawyer paying a measly 130k to protect Trump.
One of the networks just happened to have a tv show called Madame Secretary featuring a brilliant blonde woman secretary of state.
I read of Facebook owner Zuckerberg speaking of Cambridge Analytica obtaining data from facebook accounts.
He said that would never be allowed to happen again.
The context seemed clear to me: Conservatives would never be allowed access to facebook data again. Data to leftists would continue as usual.
Gee ...what does Seth Rich’s FaceBook account contain?
Did FB rat-out Seth?
Obama 2012: Kudos to a savvy candidate!
Trump 2016: We need FTC intervention!
facebook collusion!
It should have been considered an "in kind contribution" or whatever, the value of which had to be literally tens of millions of dollars. Totally illegal on its face, as far as I understand.
Just some free, totally crooked, "under the table" illegal campaign contribution from a billionaire Democrat to the DN and its candidate.
Nothing to see here, folks. I mean, it's not like a Republican did it or something—because then it would be wrong...
There is no such thing in the Constitution as a "Presidential election".
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