[jedberg]

It seems some people are surprised that they were able to buy data on who voted and how they lean.

I wasn't surprised because I worked on a campaign before. It's ridiculous how much information you can get about voters for not a lot of money.

You can get their phone number and email address that they provided with their voter registration, and the do not call list does not even apply (nor the do not spam list). You can call and email with reckless abandon.

It's kinda crazy how basically every law meant to protect people from spam has a special carve out for political campaigns.

[tmpz22]

> It's kinda crazy how basically every law meant to protect people from spam has a special carve out for political campaigns.

Electioneering is a golden goose of money. There are billions in Ad spend every election cycle and everybody is in on it - Facebook, Google, Twilio, Sendgrid, the telecoms, phone banks and call centers, nonprofits, for profits. Nobody wants the money to stop because is pure margin what they charge the campaigns for.

[netsharc]

TV companies too, getting that sweet sweet ad money. I remember feeling in the 2008 Democrat primary race that TV had a split agenda. The nomination was definitely Obama's, but the TV reports kept talking about a race, because (my guess) it keeps viewers tuning in...

[quickthrowman]

Some political campaigns are relentless. I was able to get a local city council candidate’s campaign to stop calling me but I had to threaten to run against their candidate in the next election. Haven’t heard from them since, YMMV.

[nonameiguess]

Sure, and like other targeted ad buyers being sold bullshit, you simply take it for granted that the data you get is accurate. Meanwhile, looking through my SMS history, I have 8 texts from this week addressed to either my grandmother, who is 86 and recovering from a stroke, or her last boyfriend, who is dead, telling me about GOP candidates in Nevada. I have never lived in Nevada. She no longer lives in Nevada. He no longer lives at all. I haven't voted since 2004. If you're just going to go by my "mood affiliation" or cultural leanings or whatever, voter or not, I'm sure as shit not a Republican. Thankfully, Nikki Haley finally stopped bugging me when she dropped out.

[itsdrewmiller]

Which laws have special carve outs for political campaigns?

[dwater]

TCPA and CAN SPAM.

https://www.fcc.gov/rules-political-campaign-calls-and-texts

[itsdrewmiller]

Neither of those laws mention political campaigns at all - both laws are directed at commercial activity.

[jedberg]

Exactly. They specifically omit political campaigns so that they aren't covered.

[itsdrewmiller]

You could say the same about emails between friends or emails from churches - they don’t cover things that aren’t within the intended scope of the bill.

[jedberg]

Are you being needlessly pedantic just to be contrarian?

But since we're being pedantic, it actually does apply to churches, depending on their legal structure.

And if you were actually following this at the time like I was, you would know that originally it was going to include political campaigns until a bunch of politicians said they wouldn't support it unless they got a carve out.

[jedberg]

Mainly the one that establishes the Do Not Call list (it exempts political campaigns from any penalty) and CAN-SPAM which exempts political emails from any penalties.