Five Reasons Why eBay Should Leave ALEC

Five Reasons Why eBay Should Leave ALEC

With major tech companies’ recent departure from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a secretive corporate lobbying group, it’s a wonder why eBay remains a member. We’re asking them to leave – add your voice today!

With major tech companies’ recent departure from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a secretive corporate lobbying group, it’s a wonder why eBay remains a member. We’re asking them to leave – add your voice today!

Here are five reasons why eBay should cut ties with ALEC:

1.   eBay & ALEC’s views on climate science don’t match up

While eBay has actually called for legislative action on climate change, ALEC’s model bills and meeting presentations deny the basic science around climate change, and the organization actively opposes efforts to combat it. ALEC’s climate record isn’t lost on eBay CEO John Donahoe, who recently said his company is “not with them” on the issue.

2.   They don’t see eye to eye on net neutrality either

Donahoe also said that the corporation remains in ALEC for one issue: “internet.” That’s odd, because while eBay strongly supports open internet protections, ALEC has advanced bill after model bill to undermine them.

3.   ALEC membership could hurt eBay’s sales

According to a consumer survey by Forecast The Facts, 74% of eBay customers would be “less likely” to use eBay in the future if they learned about eBay’s funding of groups that deny climate science, like ALEC.

4.   Silicon Valley has already dumped ALEC

As public outcry mounts, eBay’s competitors and fellow tech giants like Amazon, Overstock.com, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Yelp, and Yahoo have all left ALEC – the lobby group has become toxic in the tech community.

5.   eBay could face back taxes for its support of ALEC

When we blew the whistle on ALEC’s abuse of tax loopholes to let its corporate members write off lobbying expenses as charitable gifts, we specifically asked the IRS to “disallow the tax deductions taken by ALEC’s for-profit corporate members, and collect taxes due from such [private sector] members.”

We’re asking eBay to join Google, Facebook, Yahoo, and other tech leaders in the ALEC exodus. Sign our petition today!