Activists target Google employees over GOP convention plans

Activists are targeting Google employees in their campaign to force the company to end a partnership with this year’s Republican National Convention.

Credo Action said it would direct Facebook ads at “more than 10,000” Google employees in California and Washington, D.C. The ads feature a new video from the group telling viewers, “It’s not too late for Google to do the right thing.”

{mosads}Facebook allows advertisers to target people who work for specific employers or within a geographical area.

Credo Action’s efforts are part of a larger pressure campaign by progressive groups who say tech companies that participate in the convention are endorsing the rhetoric of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Trump sparked controversy by calling Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals and for his proposed ban on allowing Muslims to enter the country.

Despite the pressure, Google said it will go ahead with plans to provide the official live stream for the Republican event. Other companies are staying involved with the conventions as well. Microsoft said it will provide software for both the Republican and Democratic conventions, but not a cash donation, while Xerox said it will continue to donate to both events.

The Republican convention is being held in Cleveland in July, with the Democrats convening in Philadelphia a week later.

Advocates such as Credo Action are increasingly using targeting tools on various social networks to get their message out to niche constituencies.

Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) presidential campaign also targeted political reporters on Twitter with ads, for example, using a tool that allows advertisers to upload a list of users to target. And Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s (R-Alaska) campaign team used Facebook’s targeting features to reach employees at the Interior Department who used the social network while they were on their lunch break.