New iPhone App to Identify Anonymous Campaign Donors

If you have an iPhone, you can get the Super PAC App which will allow you to get information about the political ads that are swamping your TV.  You’ll need to hold your iPhone up to the TV set for about twelve seconds while the ad is playing.

The app uses audio recognition technology to obtain information on who’s behind the ad and how much money they’ve spent.

The linked article doesn’t mention whether this app can also smoke out the so-called “charity” organizations — e.g. Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS — that aren’t required to reveal their donors.  But I would assume the audio recognition technology works the same way, regardless of whether the ad is from a Super PAC or a tax-exempt “charity” organization.

It’s also unclear — to me anyway — whether this technology actually reveals people’s names, or just provides the usual “this ad was paid for by Concerned Americans for Healthy Children.”

Either way, it’s a start.  Technology keeps improving, and at some point these anonymous millionaires won’t be able to hide under a rock while they’re purchasing politicians and rigging elections.