GitHub - upper-up/meta-lobbying-and-other-findings

An open-source intelligence investigation documents how Meta Platforms built a multi-channel influence operation to pass the App Store Accountability Act (ASAA), legislation that shifts age verification compliance burdens onto Apple and Google's app stores while imposing no new requirements on social media platforms. The investigation presents 47 proven findings sourced from IRS 990 filings, Senate LD-2 lobbying disclosures, state lobbying registrations, and campaign finance databases. Key findings include: Meta spent a record $26.3M on federal lobbying in 2025, deployed 86+ lobbyists across 45 states, covertly funded a 'grassroots' child safety group called the Digital Childhood Alliance (DCA) which has no EIN or incorporation record, committed $70M+ to state-level super PACs, and had a lobbyist draft the legislative language for Louisiana's ASAA bill. The investigation also analyzed $2.0 billion in Arabella Advisors network grants and found zero dollars went to child safety organizations, ruling out that funding pathway. ASAA has been signed into law in Utah, Texas, and Louisiana, with ~17 additional states considering similar bills. Claude Code (Anthropic's CLI) was used as a research assistant for bulk data processing.