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October 19, 2017

Senators unveil bipartisan bill to reveal who is buying political ads on social media

Senators introduced a bipartisan bill Thursday that would require Facebook, Twitter, Google and other social media companies to disclose who is paying for political ads that appear on their online platforms.

The legislation by Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and John McCain, R-Ariz., comes in the wake of recent revelations that Kremlin-linked groups exploited American social media to try to influence the 2016 presidential election.

Those Russian efforts have been continuing as the U.S. heads into the 2018 congressional elections, the senators said.

"This isn't about one election or one party, this is about our democracy," said Klobuchar, the senior Democrat on the Senate Rules and Administration Committee. "Foreign agents are taking advantage of loopholes in our laws."

Facebook disclosed last month that it had identified more than $100,000 worth of political ads purchased by a Russian company linked to the Russian government. Most of the 3,000 ads, which ran between June 2015 and May 2017, focused on divisive issues such as immigration, gun control, gay rights and race.

The bill unveiled Thursday, called the Honest Ads Act, would require social media companies to follow the same rules as radio, television and print media when it comes to public disclosure of who is sponsoring political ads.

An identical bill has been introduced in the House by Reps. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., and Mike Coffman, R-Colo.

Traditional media companies are required to include disclosures of who is sponsoring a political ad when the ad is broadcast or printed. They also are required to keep public files with copies of the ads, how much they cost and who paid for them.

That requirement would kick in for social media companies anytime a group or individual buys $500 or more worth of political ads. Violations of the rules would result in fines, which traditional media companies are already subject to. The rule would apply to large social media companies with at least 50 million monthly viewers.

So far, social media companies have opposed any effort at government regulation, but the senators said they hope to convince them to support their bill.

Warner, a former tech entrepreneur and vice chairman of the Senate intelligence panel, said he believes the legislation is "a light-touch approach" rather than heavy-handed government regulation.

"We don't want to slow down innovation on the Internet, but I think Americans deserve to know whether the ads they're seeing are generated by Americans or generated by foreign interests," Warner said.

Executives from Facebook, Twitter and Google are expected to appear at Nov. 1 public hearings before the House and Senate intelligence committees to talk about the Kremlin-linked ads. The panels are investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.

"In the wake of Russia’s attack on the 2016 election, it is more important than ever to strengthen our defenses against foreign interference in our elections," said McCain, who is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "I am confident this legislation will modernize existing law to safeguard the integrity of our election system."


By:  Erin Kelly
Source: USA Today