A conservative political group which Google Inc (NASDAQ GOOG) was supporting lost their support for “literally lying” about global warming, following a move by Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ MSFT) in August to pull the plug on funding. Exit from ALEC also reveals attempts by tech giants to oppose U.S. government spying on citizens without a warrant.

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt, speaking with National Public Radio, revealed Google would be pulling its membership from the right-leaning American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) because the group was “literally lying” in its opposition of efforts to reduce global warming.

“The company has a very strong view that we should make decisions in politics based on facts — what a shock,” Schmidt said in the interview. “And the facts of climate change are not in question anymore. Everyone understands climate change is occurring and the people who oppose it are really hurting our children and our grandchildren and making the world a much worse place. And so we should not be aligned with such people — they’re just, they’re just literally lying.”

Google Inc (NASDAQ GOOG) News: Climate Change and Google

The loss of support won’t stop the paid activism, as ALEC has received donations from fossil fuel-based corporations such as Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE XOM), Koch Industries, Duke Energy Corp (NYSE DUK) and Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE BTU). The group has been actively fighting against the US government’s efforts to pursue renewable energy sources.

The group aggressively battled against regulations for coal power plants, lobbied to persuade justice officials to officially classify ecological activists as terrorists and questioned scientific climate change research. The logic for the pair of tech giants supporting ALEC is also interesting and points to a behind the scenes struggle to resist government efforts to eavesdrop on U.S. citizens without a warrant.

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Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ MSFT) and Google Inc (NASDAQ GOOG) had originally supported ALEC on an “unrelated issue,” serving on the group’s Communications and Technology Task Force. According to a Washington Post report, ALEC had supported online privacy protections, including a requirement that U.S. law enforcement agencies obtain a warrant to spy on U.S. citizens in accordance with the U.S. Constitution.

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