Political rules should apply to Facebook

[Commentary] Facebook is seeking a ruling that the Federal Election Commission's disclosure requirement not apply to its ads. The lawyers for Facebook have written a 14-page letter to the FEC, asking that the disclaimer not be required on their site.

Famous for its clean look, Facebook is presumably worried about a clutter of agate type. But there is a ready solution: All Facebook needs to do is to allow users to hover over ads with a mouse and let them click through to the disclaimer. "It seems to me that the smart people at Facebook can link to a full and complete disclosure without getting in the way of the message or the user's page at all," says Dan Schnur, the former head of the California Fair Political Practices Commission and now the director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute for Politics at USC. The disclaimer matters: Even if you have no clue about the identity of the Citizens Against Hillside Pillaging, the group usually has to file a statement somewhere. With a little diligence, you can find it. The Web is fundamentally different from a bumper sticker or a pencil or wearing apparel. It allows for more disclosure, not less. It has virtually unlimited space. All you need is a way to deliver the information practically and economically.