Tech checks grow larger for 2014 elections

The Internet’s most familiar names long scoffed at big oil, big banks and big defense contractors for their large campaign contributions to lawmakers every election year. But with the 2014 midterms on the horizon, the likes of Google and Facebook are tearing a page -- or, rather, a check -- from the same political playbook.

The ongoing debate over National Security Agency surveillance, a brewing interest in consumer privacy and security protections and the broader battles over patents and taxes have spurred Internet giants to donate more money than ever in a bid to secure new congressional allies. Entering the 2014 election, Google already has doubled the amount it spent and raised in the 2010 midterm cycle. Facebook’s fast-growing campaign contribution machine didn’t even exist four years ago. Yahoo similarly is doling out cash at a faster rate than the past two elections, and companies like Twitter and Salesforce.com are just beginning to come into their own as political players.