Washington, D.C. — Several weeks ago, Facebook and other online platforms disclosed that Russian entities had used their platforms to engage in a large-scale effort to divide the American people and interfere in American elections. Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mark Warner (D-VA), and John McCain (R-AZ) have introduced a bill that would bring transparency to the type of advertisements used by Russian entities in these efforts, and others like them, and fight back against the threat they pose to the integrity of our democracy.
In response to the bill’s introduction, Liz Kennedy, director of Democracy and Government Reform at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
Whether paid political ads are broadcast on TV or displayed online, the American people deserve to know the true source of the funds used to influence our elections. The Honest Ads Act would apply some of the same basic disclosure requirements to online ads as it does to television ads—and importantly, it would require social media companies to take reasonable steps to prevent foreign influence in our elections. At a time when foreign adversaries are exploiting our divisions to subvert America’s democracy, we applaud this common-sense bipartisan leadership on this important issue.
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, please contact Tanya Arditi at [email protected] or 202.741.6258.
Related resources: