Authorities say America PAC may have violated Michigan privacy laws
The Michigan Secretary of State’s office announced on Sunday (August 4, 2024) that the PAC (Political Action Committee) created by billionaire Elon Musk is being investigated for possible violations of the state’s privacy and transparency laws. The information is from CNBC.
According to authorities, the initiative would allow access to data of Americans who register on the site. The case was referred to the Michigan attorney general’s office.
A CNBCa cabinet spokesman said that “tEvery citizen should know exactly how their personal information is being used by PACs, especially if an entity claims it will help people register to vote.”.
Musk created the PAC in June. On July 15, the Wall Street Journal published a report stating that the billionaire would use the initiative to donate US$45 million per month to the campaign of Republican White House candidate Donald Trump.
According to the text, the fund would have the objective of convincing people to register to vote, especially in states without a widely favored candidate. At the time, Musk classified the report as fake news.
On July 23, Musk denied that he would donate the amount. According to the businessman, the PAC created by him is not “hyperpartisan”that is, dedicated to a specific acronym. Musk also said that the main goal of the initiative is to promote “values that made America great”.
In the US, corporate donations to campaigns are prohibited, as is the case in Brazil.
However, the country allows NGOs to be set up to support certain causes aligned with campaigns. These organizations can pay for TV commercials and advertising in the media in general – there is no free airtime in the United States, so candidates need to buy the space to advertise their campaigns.
These NGOs are called PACs (political action committees –political action committees, in the free translation into Portuguese). The largest are considered Super PACs.
According to Federal Election Commission from the US, the Super PACs “are committees that can receive unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations, unions, and other PACs for the purpose of funding independent expenditures and other independent political activities”.
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