Center for Individual Freedom
{{Short description|American policy advocacy organization}}
The Center for Individual Freedom (CFIF) is an Alexandria, Virginia based U.S. nonprofit conservative policy advocacy{{Cite news |url=https://www.weeklystandard.com/tony-mecia/how-political-organizations-are-using-telemarketing-to-astroturf-congress|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921135301/https://www.weeklystandard.com/tony-mecia/how-political-organizations-are-using-telemarketing-to-astroturf-congress|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 21, 2018|title=Off the Hook: How Organizations Are Using Telemarketing to Reach Congress|work=Weekly Standard|author=Tony Mecia & Haley Byrd|date=September 21, 2018}} organization.
History
The Center for Individual Freedom was founded in 1998 by former tobacco industry executives who sought to counter government restrictions on smoking.{{cite news | last1 =Geiger|first1=Kim|last2 =Hamburger|first2 =Tom|title=Group funding GOP campaigns had its origins backing tobacco|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date =October 24, 2010|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-oct-24-la-na-hidden-donors-20101024-story.html}}
It has led efforts to defeat efforts to compel "dark money" groups like it from being forced to reveal their donors. It won a victory in September 2012 when a U.S. appeals court overturned a lower court decision that increased disclosure requirements. Despite this, Mother Jones reported in April 2012 that the Center for Individual Freedom had been given $2.75 million from Crossroads GPS, the conservative non-profit started by Karl Rove.{{cite news|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/04/karl-rove-crossroads-gps-center-individual-freedom/|title=It Takes Dark Money to Make Dark Money|last=Kroll|first=Andy|date=April 20, 2012|work=Mother Jones}} Paul Ryan, an attorney with the Campaign Legal Center (a group in favor of campaign finance regulation), says CFIF's anti-disclosure cases are without merit but adds that challenging disclosure laws is a new attempt to deregulate campaign finance.
In the 2010 elections CFIF spent $2.5 million supporting Republican candidates, and in the 2012 elections it spent $1.9 million.{{cite news|last=Stein|first=Sam|title=Center for Individual Freedom, Conservative Group, Spends Big Against House Dems|newspaper=Huffington Post|date=September 19, 2012|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/19/center-for-individual-freedom-spends_n_1895416.html}}
In April 2016, it was reported that CFIF spent $200,000 on advertisements opposing the Puerto Rico debt relief bill.{{Cite web |title=Dark money group spends $200,000 on ads opposing Puerto Rico debt relief bill : Sunlight Foundation |url=https://sunlightfoundation.com/2016/04/06/dark-money-group-spends-200000-on-ads-opposing-puerto-rico-debt-bill/ |access-date=2024-10-04 |website=sunlightfoundation.com}} The Center also launched a radio ad, criticizing Representative Sean Duffy for his inconsistent stance on the bill.{{Cite web |last=Freedom |first=Center for Individual |title=CFIF Launches Radio Ad Exposing Rep. Sean Duffy's Flip-Flop on "Super Chapter 9 Bankruptcy" for Puerto Rico |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cfif-launches-radio-ad-exposing-rep-sean-duffys-flip-flop-on-super-chapter-9-bankruptcy-for-puerto-rico-300256114.html |access-date=2024-10-04 |website=www.prnewswire.com |language=en}}
The CFIF supported efforts to repeal net neutrality laws in 2017.
A story by Gizmodo found that CFIF was involved in the communications industry's campaign against net neutrality.{{Cite news |url=https://gizmodo.com/how-an-investigation-of-fake-fcc-comments-snared-a-prom-1832788658|title=How an Investigation of Fake FCC Comments Snared a Prominent D.C. Media Firm|last=Cameron|first=Dell |work=Gizmodo|date=February 21, 2019}}{{Cite news |url=https://boingboing.net/2019/02/22/notice-and-comment-and-lie.html|title=Blockbuster Gizmodo investigation reveals probable masterminds of the massive anti-Net Neutrality identity theft/astroturf campaign|date=February 22, 2019|work=BoingBoing}}
In 2024, CFIF launched a podcast called IP Protection Matters, which discusses intellectual property issues.
References
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External links
- {{official website|http://cfif.org/}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225358/http://nccsweb.urban.org/communityplatform/nccs/organization/profile/id/541916980/popup/1 Organizational Profile] – National Center for Charitable Statistics (Urban Institute)
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20150620013937/http://images.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/?C30001747 Reports Image Index]
- [http://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/detail.php?cycle=2010&cmte=C30001747 2010 Outside Spending Summary] at OpenSecrets.org
- [https://ipprotectionmatters.org/ IP Protection Matters – Podcast]
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