Google has been forced to deny it gave President Barack Obama's re-election campaign special access to a new advertising programme providing potential supporters' email addresses.
A member of staff at the National Republican Senatorial Committee saw an Obama advert on the RealClearPolitics website last month and contacted Google to ask about creating a similar one for the Republicans.
But they were told by a saleswoman the new product was only being released to a select few clients and that Mr Obama enjoyed a special deal with the company.
The new ad programme would charge customers for every email address or other piece of information they collected.
It is an attractive proposition for campaign teams looking to drum up new support using a simple method.
In the email, saleswoman Sirene Abou-Chakra said: 'This is a pre-alpha product that is being released to a select few clients.
'I'd be happy to get you into the beta if you're interested.
A similar email is also believed to have been sent to at least one other Republican firm.
Brian Walsh, communications director for the National Republic Senatorial Committee (NRSC), told Politico.com: 'It certainly raises some red flags that the Obama campaign appears to have been given special access to a new online advertising product.'
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