A new year means new allegations by so-called journalists that can’t live with the fact that the CCC fights for consumers and is transparent about its work and supporters. This time it’s an article in The Daily Beast in the US, and it feels a bit like Groundhog Day. But we’ll take the opportunity to stress once again how we operate:
The CCC has no “Secret backers”!
CCC is transparent that it receives funding from for profit companies, and this is clearly shown on our website. This includes the fact that the CCC receives funding from British American Tobacco, as well as many other companies, individuals and groups. This is not a secret. We are happy to receive donations from companies and individuals who support our mission and respect our independence, and we are not ashamed of it.
The CCC operates with full independence from its donors!
CCC welcomes funding from for profit companies, foundations, and individuals who share our mission. CCC operates with full independence from its donors, and all our donors respect this. The suggestion that any donor ‘ran the show’, or directed any of our activities is completely and demonstrably false. We’ve never met, or even heard of, the individual named in the article, and neither he nor anyone else outside of CCC exercises any direction of our activities.
Anonymous claims from disgruntled former subcontractors are not facts!
One of our agencies engaged a subcontractor to help us reach the global vaping community on social media. This is a vital way for us to reach vapers who want to stand up and fight for consumer rights. This subcontractor knew that their client was the Consumer Choice Center, not any other company or donor of CCC’s. They failed in their mission and were fired more than a year ago. Their anonymous comments suggest a complete misunderstanding and misrepresentation of the situation, and it’s not clear why. Given how bad they were at their job, maybe it’s not a surprise that they can’t remember who their client was.
The CCC launched the WVA to fight for vapers!
At CCC we are very proud of our work to save lives by reducing the harm of smoking tobacco. That’s why we created the WVA. You can find a longer read on why we launched the WVA here: https://consumerchoicecenter.org/why-we-launched-the-world-vapers-alliance/
The CCC is tax compliant and independent!
CCC is a fully independent entity in full compliance with all relevant tax codes. Everything else is a misrepresentation. You can read more here: https://consumerchoicecenter.org/about-us/