Lawmakers in US move to regulate online political ads

Washington, Oct. 20: US lawmakers on Thursday unveiled legislation to require disclosure of the source of many online political ads, a move aimed at preventing a recurrence of Russian social media manipulation in the 2016 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,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar, who introduced the bill with fellow Democrat Mark Warner and Republican John McCain.

The legislation follows news that Russian-backed entities used online platforms to spread disinformation during the 2016 campaign, aiming to help Republican Donald Trump defeat Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton.

“In the wake of Russia’s attack on the 2016 election, it is more important than ever to strengthen our defences against foreign interference in our elections,” McCain said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, US 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 influence millions of American voters with impunity.”

The Honest Ads Act would require online platforms with at least 50 million users to maintain and disclose information on spending of at least $500 for ads for candidates or legislative issues, applying rules.