Kilmer Statement on Facebook’s Endorsement of the Honest Ads Act
Today, the Founder and CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, issued a statement calling for greater public disclosure of the entities that purchase political ads on the platform.
Zuckerberg said: “Election interference is a problem that's bigger than any one platform, and that's why we support The Honest Ads Act. This will help raise the bar for all political advertising online.”
US Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA) is the original sponsor of the House version of The Honest Ads Act. He said:
“I’m encouraged by Facebook’s endorsement today of the Honest Ads Act. Citizens deserve to know who pays for the ads they are seeing in their newsfeeds,” Rep. Derek Kilmer said. “Today’s news is good, but the internet is bigger than one company. Whether it comes from Russia or a deep-pocketed special interest group, there is too much money in politics. Congress should quickly pass the Honest Ads Act and take further action to safeguard our elections.”
The Honest Ads Act (HR 4077) has bipartisan support in the House of Representatives and the Senate. The bill would require companies hosting political ads, like Facebook, to follow public disclosure requirements that are similar to those currently required of political ads on television, in print and on the radio. Kilmer co-introduced the bill with Rep. Mike Coffman, a Republican from Colorado.
Kilmer has worked to address the role of dark money and foreign money in the political system. In March, Kilmer secured language in the recently-passed government spending bill that requires the Federal Election Commission to issue a report on how it is enforcing laws governing foreign donations in America’s election. More information on the report is available here.