Tech Industry Working with Lawmakers on Political Ad Disclosures Online

The tech industry, which has worked to thwart previous efforts to mandate disclosures of who is purchasing online political advertising, is mobilizing an army of lobbyists and lawyers — including a senior adviser to Hillary Clinton’s campaign — to help shape proposed regulations. Long before the 2016 election, the adviser, Marc E. Elias, helped Facebook and Google request exemptions from the Federal Election Commission to existing disclosure rules, arguing that ads on the respective platforms were too small to fit disclaimers listing their sponsors.