Bills
| 3.23.22

Honest Ads Act: Strengthening Disclosure Requirements for Online Political Ads (S. 1989)

Do you support or oppose this bill?

What is S. 1989?

(Updated November 6, 2019)

This bill — known as the Honest Ads Act — would strengthen disclosure requirements for online political advertisements by broadening the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act’s definition of electioneering activities to include such ads. In effect, this would mean that online political ads are covered by the same rules as TV, radio, and satellite ads.

Digital platforms with at least 50 million monthly viewers would be required to maintain a public file of all electioneering communications purchased by a person or group who spends more than $50,000 total on ads published on the platform. The file would contain a digital copy of the advertisement, a description of the audience the ad targets, the number of views generated, the dates and times of publication, the rates charged, and the purchaser’s contact information.

Online platforms would be required to make all reasonable efforts to ensure that foreign individuals and entities aren’t buying political ads in order to influence the American electorate.

Argument in favor

Foreign governments and individuals shouldn’t be able to influence American elections by buying online ads. This bill would strengthen disclosure requirements to ensure that doesn’t happen.

Argument opposed

Foreign governments and individuals are always going to find ways to try to influence American elections because of the stakes involved, they’ll surely find ways around these disclosure requirements.

Impact

The American electorate; online platforms that’d be required to maintain a list of political ads; and foreign governments and individuals that’d try to buy ads to influence a U.S. election.

Cost of S. 1989

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced this bill to prevent foreign governments and individuals from using online political ads to influence a U.S. election:

“First and foremost this is an issue of national security – Russia attacked us and will continue to use different tactics to undermine our democracy and divide our country, including by purchasing disruptive online political ads. We have to secure our election systems and we have to do it now – the next election is only 383 days away. This bipartisan legislation would help protect our democracy by updating our laws to ensure that political ads sold online are covered by the same rules as TV or radio stations – and make them public so Americans can see who is trying to influence them.”

Lead cosponsor Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) added:

“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. Unfortunately, U.S. laws requiring transparency in political campaigns have not kept pace with rapid advances in technology, allowing our adversaries to take advantage of these loopholes to deceive millions of American voters with impunity. Our bipartisan legislation would address this serious challenge by expanding landmark campaign finance law to apply to internet and digital communications platforms that command a significant audience. I have long fought to increase transparency and end the corrupting influence of special interests in political campaigns, and I am confident this legislation will modernize existing law to safeguard the integrity of our election system.”

Aside from Sen. McCain, this legislation has the support of one additional cosponsor, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA).


Media:

Summary by Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: Wachiwit / iStock)