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Twitter to pay $100,000 over Washington campaign violations

Published 10:20 am Tuesday, October 13, 2020

FILE - In this Feb. 8, 2018, file photo, the logo for Twitter is displayed above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Twitter is imposing new rules, Friday, Oct. 9, 2020, ahead of the U.S. presidential election, prohibiting people, including candidates, from claiming an election win before it is called by either state election officials or two authoritative, national news outlets. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
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FILE - In this Feb. 8, 2018, file photo, the logo for Twitter is displayed above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Twitter is imposing new rules, Friday, Oct. 9, 2020, ahead of the U.S. presidential election, prohibiting people, including candidates, from claiming an election win before it is called by either state election officials or two authoritative, national news outlets. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
In this 2018 photo, the logo for Twitter is displayed above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Associated Press

OLYMPIA — Twitter is the latest social media giant to pay for violations of Washington state’s campaign finance disclosure rules.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Tuesday the company agreed to pay $100,000 for failing to maintain records related to ads that ran from 2012 through 2019, when Twitter banned political advertising.

Companies are required to maintain records about who paid for ads, when they ran, how much they cost, and the name of the candidate or measure supported or opposed.

Facebook and Google previously agreed to settlements of $200,000 each, though Ferguson filed a second lawsuit against Facebook in April, this time arguing that the violations were intentional.

“Transparency in political advertising is critical to a free and informed electorate,” Ferguson said in a news release. “Whether you are a local newspaper or a multinational social media platform, you must follow our campaign finance laws.”

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