US: HRC urges investigation into anti-gay texts
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has filed a complaint with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over controversial mass spam text messages that criticise President Obama’s support for equal marriage.
HRC, America’s largest LGBT advocacy group, believes the content of the messages violate media regulations as they are misleading.
Some of the messages read: “Obama supports same-sex relationships. Voting for him will destroy the sanctity of marriage.” Others said, “Stop Obama from forcing gay marriage on the states. Your vote is your choice.”
President Obama has repeatedly said the issue of marriage equality is one for individual states to decide upon and not the federal government.
The texts were sent earlier in the week via email.
HRC argues that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act prohibits the use of telecom technology “to transmit misleading caller-identification information … especially with the intent to defraud or cause harm.”
In a statement, HRC spokesman Fred Sainz said: “It’s unsurprising that our opponents are employing such underhanded tactics and trying to attack equality from behind shrouds of secrecy.”
The Washington Post reported that the texts came from ‘ccAdvertising’, a firm based in Virgina, who have a track record of spamming mobile phone users with unsolicited content.
