The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board announced its plans to research the rise of online campaign advertising with media such as Facebook, Google and Twitter to propose campaign reform.

According to Reid Magney, spokesperson for the GAB, the idea of adding a common disclaimer to the end of a Google or Facebook advertisement has become confusing because of the character limits usually imposed on each advertisement, adding it can be difficult to put a disclaimer explaining who is paying for the advertisement in a message limited to 140 characters or less.

“There is a law that says that for things like buttons and matchbooks and other little doodads that campaigns have, you don’t have to have that full disclosure notice on there,” Magney said. “The law is really silent regarding electronic things. … How do you fit a disclaimer in a 140-character tweet?”

Magney added there is still a public purpose in having elected officials communicating with the voters and the public via outlets such as Facebook and Twitter, but the absence of disclaimers from online paid advertisements that attack certain candidates could become a problem in future races.

“Some people might argue that it’s political because the [legislator] is trying to get their name out there for having worked on this bill,” Magney said. “But the position we have taken is that members of the Legislature and other elected officials are elected to communicate and encouraged to communicate about public policy issues.”

Magney said he does not know if legislation will be necessary since the issue is currently being researched by the GAB and it is possible for the board to impose limits by their administrative rule. He added the early declarations of candidates for the 2010 gubernatorial race added to the need to research the issue.

Records from a GAB meeting earlier this month cited a recent Florida case in which a mayoral candidate was fined $250 for not including a disclaimer in his Google ad limited to 68 characters as an example of the ongoing debate over online political ads.

Rep. Jeff Smith, D-Eau Claire, chair of the Committee on Elections and Campaign Reform, said he hopes Wisconsin’s laws for online technology can be improved.

“It’s complicated, it’s exciting and it’s interesting all at the same time,” Smith said. “But it’s definitely an important part of what we’re trying to do when it comes to regulating ads, how we campaign and make sure government continues to be open and clean. Campaigns are a big part of that.”