Washington, D.C. — Today, Reps. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Mike Gallagher (R-WI) reintroduced the Honest Ads Act to help prevent foreign interference in future elections and update the disclaimer and transparency requirements for online political advertisements. A similar bipartisan measure has already been reintroduced in the Senate by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC). In response, Greta Bedekovics, associate director of Democracy Policy at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
This legislation would help protect elections from foreign interference and ensure that Americans know the sources behind billions of dollars worth of online political advertisements. The Honest Ads Act would create uniform disclosure and disclaimer standards for online political ads the same way we have for political ads on radio and TV. While some social media companies have voluntarily adopted transparency measures, these have largely been ineffective, and millions of dollars in political spending is going unreported. That’s why we need a uniform standard, not a patchwork of self-enforced policies. The legislation includes important updates to ensure its more narrowly tailored and efficiently implemented. It’s critical for the health of our democracy that Americans know who is trying to influence their political opinions and decisions with money—whether it’s on TV, radio, or social media.
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