Unfriending the Russians

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg should hardly have been shocked that Kremlinlinked Russian operatives funneled political ads to select U.S. users of his social media megaplatform during the 2016 presidential campaign, using the lucrative targeting tech that makes his stake in the company worth upwards of $60 billion.

Years ago, well aware of the money to be made selling political spots aimed uniquely at, say, dogloving hockey moms in Ohio’s 3rd congressional district, Facebook execs, along with their Google counterparts, successfully pressed to shield internet-only ads from the sort of Federal Election Commission rules that require TV and radio spots to say — out loud, for crying out loud — who paid for them.

Now that Zuckerberg has discovered $100,000 in Russian-bought 2016 ads and shared them with congressional investigators and Special Counsel Robert Mueller as they investigate Kremlin meddling in last year’s elections, the smart guy can no longer play dumb.

He wisely jets out ahead to announce that, as fast as his coders can type, Facebook will enter a new era of political transparency. Not only will each ad be linked to the Facebook page of the buyer, but anyone will be able to visit that sponsor’s page and see all the Facebook political ads they’re buying, even if they are only targeted to that Ohio lady and her like-minded neighbors.

About damn time. That must mark the beginning of a new era of shedding daylight on the internet’s paid-for political influence, already at $750 million a presidential cycle and destined to become even more important than the TV spots that used to win or lose elections.

Now, Zuckerberg and his Google counterparts must reverse past obstinacy and support the Federal Election Commission as it revives efforts to force online political advertisers to disclose who they are and what they’re up to.

So alarming was the Russia-Facebook news that the FEC, normally deadlocked along partisan lines, unanimously decided earlier this month to seek public comments on how the government might make clear to voters which groups are sponsoring which campaign ads. Figure out the mechanics — and do it.

With Zuckerberg eager to claim the moral high ground, he should demand the FEC act and meantime call on web platforms to follow his lead in lifting the veil off internet political ads.

There’s no better way to respond to the damage done to the political process by a foreign government’s likely illegal intervention than by enabling American democracy to shine bright, in broad daylight.