Senators grill Google exec on ‘persuasive technology’

Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) introduced legislation on Tuesday aimed at preventing foreign nationals from purchasing political advertisements, the latest move by Senate Democrats pushing for election security legislation.

The Preventing Adversaries Internationally from Disbursing Advertising Dollars (PAID AD) Act would amend federal campaign finance laws to ban foreign nationals from purchasing ads that name a political candidate and appear on broadcast, cable, satellite or digital platforms.

The legislation would also make it illegal for a foreign government to purchase “issue advertisements” during an election year.

The senators argued that the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), first passed in 1972, should be expanded beyond its current “narrow” definition of what constitutes “electioneering communication.” The law currently prohibits a foreign national from contributing to political campaigns, making independent expenditures or buying electioneering communication, but the senators want it to go further.