Election law still hasn’t caught up with the internet

Over on The Guardian there is a piece about how election law still hasn’t been properly updated to handle the internet age. Read down into the piece and you’ll find this:

The Electoral Commission is not an official regulator for political campaigning and does not appear overly concerned about the spread of unattributed online political adverts, although it has been recommending for the last 10 years that the law is updated to cover internet campaigning.

Mark Pack, a former head of digital for the Lib Dems and communications expert at Blue Rubicon, said: “It’s been over a decade since the Electoral Commission recommended updating the imprint rules. It’s absurd that it still hasn’t happened.”

The full piece is well worth a read, especially as it rounds up several of the most high profile pieces of online campaigning from all the main parties.