No Political Advertising on Google in Washington State

Google has put the kibosh on political advertising in Washington State — possibly indefinitely:

This means that the largest advertising platform in the world is now off limits to anyone wishing to speak about a candidate or ballot measure anywhere in the Evergreen State.

For once, Google is not the villain.

The root of the problem is a recently enacted state rule requiring companies like Google to maintain extensive records for every political advertisement they accept, including ads about both candidates and ballot measures.

The pile of data Google would have to collect is so excessive that you can’t blame the company for balking.

The implications are alarming.

The world’s most prominent outlet for media information has now censored all speech about candidates and ballot measures—prototypical First Amendment-protected expression—out of fear that the government will punish it for not publicizing confidential information.

This is how liberty dies: not by full frontal assault, but by gradual affixation through excessive regulation.

On a tip from Steve A.

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