OLYMPIA, Wash. — Google and Facebook have settled lawsuits filed by Washington state alleging the companies did not keep political advertising information according to state campaign finance law.
According to the Washington Attorney General's Office, the settlement resolves two campaign finance lawsuits that allege Google and Facebook violated state law by not maintaining or providing information on the purchasers of political advertising. Washington candidates paid nearly $5.1 million to Facebook and $1.5 million to Google for advertising during the past decade with neither company providing the "legally required information" when requested, the Attorney General's Office said.
“Whether you are a small-town newspaper or a large corporation, Washington’s political advertising disclosure laws apply to everyone,” Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a statement.
The settlement includes Google and Facebook paying $200,000 each and Google paying $17,000 and Facebook paying $38,500 in attorney fees to the state, according to Ferguson's office.
As a result of the lawsuit, Google is no longer taking political ads in Washington's state and local elections, the Attorney General's Office said.