Political campaigns and outside groups are directing money to social media influencers to promote political priorities while bypassing disclosure requirements, according to The New York Times.
The arrangement exploits a gap in campaign finance law that leaves audiences with no way to identify who is funding the content they see.
Hawaii's legislature passed a bill that would remove the ability of for-profit companies, dark-money nonprofits, unions, and chambers of commerce to spend on most political causes, according to The Atlantic. The bill passed the state Senate unanimously and cleared the House with one dissenting vote; dark-money nonprofit spending in federal elections has grown from $359 million in 2012 to $1.4 billion in the most recent presidential cycle. Said bill sponsor State Senator Jarrett Keohokalole: "Corporations are not people. They are granted powers and privileges by the state."
