Democratic National Committee CEO Seema Nanda, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Executive Director Scott Fairchild, and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Executive Director Lucinda Guinn released the following joint statement on Google’s new policy to restrict the ability of political campaigns and committees to target paid messaging:

“There is no doubt that big tech companies need to take significant steps to regulate political advertising, which has gone completely unchecked in recent years and has enabled the spread of disinformation. However, a blanket ban on all political advertising is a cop-out that fails to combat disinformation and harms voters’ ability to participate in our democracy, affecting voters of color in particular.

 “Tech companies must play a more active role in regulating the content on their platforms, and we stand in full support of tech platforms removing demonstrably false content and instituting better transparency standards. That approach combats the spread of disinformation without harming civic engagement or limiting the ability of campaigns to connect directly with voters. Tech companies should not reduce the power of the grassroots just because it is easier than addressing abuse on their platforms.

“We call on these tech companies, including Google, to reconsider their decision to bluntly limit political advertising on their platforms, and we invite them to engage in an open and transparent conversation about how we effectively regulate political advertising online. We view this as critical to combating the spread of disinformation in paid communications, and vital to our ability to empower voters with true and accurate information.”