@taylorlorenz: Is your favorite influencer getting paid to push political messaging? A powerful dark money political group is secretly funding high profile influencers. Big liberal content creators are being paid up to $8,000 per month to push party messaging. Democrats are hoping buying influence might tip the scales in their favor after Kamala Harris' loss to Trump last fall. Over90 influencers are allegedly taking part in the program. Creators were told on a group Zoom call recording obtained by WIRED: “With this structure, it avoids the public disclosure or public disclaimers—you know, ‘Paid for by blah blah—that u see on political ads. We don’t need to deal with any of that. Your names aren’t showing up on, like, reports filed with the FEC” Elizabeth Dubois, who researches the ways influencers are reshaping the US political system, says that “we are seeing influencers being pulled into these dark campaigns or shadow campaigns, where the legal aspect is murky at best.” Creators told WIRED that the contract stipulated they’d be kicked out and cut off financially if they even so much as acknowledged that they were part of it or getting paid. The scheme raises serious ethical questions in relation to independent media and political advertising in the internet age. Read more on @WIRED.COM

Taylor Lorenz

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Wednesday 27 August 2025 17:59:13 GMT