This Express-News editorial suggests new rules are needed to address political contributions raised online.

According to critics like attorney Scott W. Johnson, writing in the New York Post, the Obama campaign doesn’t utilize the Address Verification System that screens credit-card charges for matching names and addresses. In tests, GOP activists were able to make multiple donations on the Obama Web site using the same credit card with fictitious names and addresses.

Trying to document the influence of money in politics often seems like a futile effort. It is, however, essential for the integrity of the political process.

The technology for Web-based fundraising has outstripped campaign finance laws. Changes should be made to ensure that the Internet remains a tool of public political participation, not a device to exploit it.