Google is sued by Washington AG for 'repeatedly violating' state campaign finance law by 'failing to provide key information' for political ads it sold
Google on Wednesday was sued by the attorney general of Washington state for failing to provide information about political advertising, despite having been successfully sued in 2018 for the same offense - a violation which saw the tech giant fined $217,000.
Google decided to ban political ads in Washington state after the case, and yet kept selling them. Journalists asked the company why, but their requests for details were not answered.
Robert Ferguson, the attorney general, accused Google of 'unlawfully failing to maintain key information regarding state political ads that it sold, and failing to provide that information to individuals who requested it.'
Robert Ferguson, the attorney general of Washington state, sued Google on Wednesday
Ferguson filed a 53-page document accusing Google of failing to disclose details of political ads
In the 53-page complaint, Ferguson highlighted the work of two reporters whose efforts in 2019 to get Google to provide information on the adverts were unsuccessful.
Eli Sanders, who worked for Seattle blog The Stranger, requested information from Google about a Spokane public safety initiative.
'While Google acknowledged receipt of the request, it failed to timely provide Sanders with information about those ads,' said Ferguson.
Google is yet to respond to the suit, which is similar to one which saw them fined in 2018
Sanders referenced a campaign advert, used as evidence by Ferguson, for a Spokane election
Sanders in March 2019 pointed out that the impact of the political adverts was significant, saying they purchased 'more than a million Google ad impressions, for a low-turnout February special election in which only about 40,000 people actually voted.'
Another example of the Google adverts that the company did not explain to Sanders
A second reporter, Tallman Trask, with the Washington Journal of Law, sought information about Google ads relating to Seattle City Council races and other 2019 elections in Washington.
Google provided only partial information in response, Ferguson said.
Trask in July 2019 tweeted: 'Alrighty, Seattle City Council candidates, let's have a talk about transparency, because a lot of you don't quite seem to get it (even some of you who I like a lot!). But first, a really quick history lesson . . .
'Since 1972, Washington has had, as a direct result of voter support, strong campaign finance disclosure requirements. For some time, those requirements have included some specific things disclosures by commercial advertisers selling political ads.
'The disclosures required a pretty simple; it's all about who is being targeted with the advertising, money spent, simple stuff like that that all advertisers have really easy access to.
'But there are some advertisers, digital ones, who think the rules and laws supported by Washington voters don't apply to them. Some of them decided they didn't want to follow the law, but they didn't want to break it either, so they left.'
Trask asked who was paying for ads in the Seattle City Council election (above)
Washington's Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) reported Google's failure to comply to Ferguson in the fall, and he filed his case on Wednesday - emphasizing that, as Google had already been fined for a similar offense, he was determined to extract a significant penalty.
'I take repeat violations of our campaign finance laws very seriously,' he said in a statement.
'Google is one of the largest corporations in the world, and should be able to figure out how to follow our campaign finance laws. Washingtonians demanded transparency in their elections.
'My office will honor the will of the people and continue enforcing the law to ensure our elections are fair and transparent.'
Washington campaign finance law requires commercial advertisers like Google to maintain specific information about Washington political ads within 24 hours of the ad's publication.
The information includes details such as the name of the candidate or measure supported or opposed; the name and address of the person or committee who sponsored the advertising; the total cost: and how it was paid for.
The information must be provided 'promptly' to members of the public when requested.
Since Ferguson filed the first case against Google in June 2018, 57 Washington candidates and political committees have reported 188 payments for ads on Google, paying a total of $461,334 for the publicity.
Washington campaign finance law allows the court to assess a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for each violation.
Facebook was hit with a similar suit by Ferguson in April 2020, with the case ongoing.
A spokesman for Google told DailyMail.com: 'We don't accept Washington state election ads.
'Advertisers that submit these ads are violating our policies and we take measures to block such ads and remove violating ads when we find them.
'We have been working cooperatively with the Washington Public Disclosure Commission on these issues and look forward to defending this litigation.'
