This week, Facebook filed the paperwork to form its own Political Action Committee. The proposed “FB PAC” would advocate on behalf of social networks in the political sphere and use company funds to support candidates in upcoming elections.
Though Facebook has sponsored lobbying efforts in the past, FB PAC would allow the social networking site to financially back political candidates for the first time. Given last year’s Citizens United ruling, which removed limits on how much funding corporations can put behind candidates through advertising, this could be a real game-changer for conglomerates like Facebook, Twitter, and Google.
A company spokesperson said that the PAC will “give our employees a way to make their voice heard in the political process by supporting candidates who share our goals of promoting the value of innovation to our economy while giving people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.”
Recent changes to Facebook have drawn complaints from many users who believe the new Facebook intrudes too much on individual privacy. Could the creation of FB PAC bring greater transparency to the company and ease these concerns? Or does FB PAC simply represent the collusion of big business and government, which may alienate the average Facebook user?
We look forward to hearing your comments on this hot topic, so please share your thoughts in the comments section below.