Change the favors of Google and Facebook in the law on election advertising

The The Political Financing Law is one of the key debates of the Congress this year, during the first election campaign after revelations of the so-called "notebooks of bribes". In this context, a clause limiting the influence of Google and Facebook and incorporating Argentine digital media was backed by opposition and rejected by the Change project during Wednesday's Senate session; the debate has therefore taken place until next week.

The initiative was presented to lawmakers by the Association of Argentine Newspaper Entities (Adepa) and the Digital Journalism Association (DPA). The document he accessed PROFILE, proposes to incorporate an article to the standard so that at least 50% of the investment in online advertising during the campaign is invested in national, provincial and local digital media.

Elections: Companies Limit Contributions to Election Campaign Parties

The proposal would limit investments in international platforms such as Facebook and Google, which control about 80% of the global market for digital advertising in an oligopoly, a dominant position that some experts believe has been gained by unfair commercial practices such as dumping. These companies also engage in maneuvers to reduce taxes in the countries where they operate. In recent years, their central role in spreading false information and in cases of electoral manipulation has been questioned, as has shown the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The initiative would also be a relief for the severe crisis of the national media industry, in a context in which several newsrooms are expected to shrink to become competitive in a market in which large platforms control the media. flow of information and advertising.

How the government uses Facebook for its election campaigns

The measure is backed by Senators from the Radical Civic Union and Peronism, including Dalmacio Mera, chairman of the constitutional affairs commission responsible for law enforcement. Cambiemos, which has invested a lot in recent years in Facebook (and its platforms Instagram and Whatsapp), Google and Twitter during the election campaign, opposed the inclusion of the article in the debate. In the absence of agreement on this point, the debate was postponed to Wednesday 27 at 9 am, decision confirmed by the leaders of the Peronist blocs, Miguel Ángel Pichettoand radicalism, Angel Rozas.

F.F.