States look at political ad rules
U.S. states are tightening rules for online political advertising ahead of the November midterm elections as prospects dim that federal restrictions will be in place to prevent a repeat of the Russian interference seen in 2016.
As political campaigns dump millions of advertising dollars into Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet’s Google, states including Maryland, Washington and New York are putting more pressure on tech companies to keep tabs.
California state senators held a hearing on Monday on a bill that would require internet companies to offer the public more information about the people or groups funding political ads for state and local candidates there.
“As most people are getting their news and information via social media, it is imperative that disclosure requirements also apply to ads appearing on these online platforms,” Democratic State Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, the bill’s sponsor, told the state Senate’s appropriations committee.
California’s actions come as efforts for stricter political ad disclosure rules for federal elections stall amid partisan rancor, even as national security officials and technology companies sound the alarm about so-called bad actors becoming more sophisticated in the ways they use social media to spread misinformation and sow discord in American civic life.
Facebook said last week that it’s
uncovered an ongoing effort to meddle in the midterms and has deleted dozens of accounts and pages from people using false identities who were coordinating events and looking to stir up political unrest.
Tech companies are retooling their own policies to thwart the threat of foreign influence but don’t want to be subject to what they view as overly prescriptive requirements about how they disclose information on ads, or be held responsible for the accuracy of that information.
“Both platforms and advertisers share the responsibility of ensuring election advertisements are transparent,” said Noah Theran, a spokesman for the Internet Association, a Washington lobbying group that represents Facebook, Google and Twitter. “The details of any new legislation — including disclosure and interface display requirements — are critical to ensuring individual platforms are able to comply, and we are committed to working with legislators to find solutions.”
Google didn’t respond to a request for comment, and Twitter declined to com- ment. Facebook said it’s supportive of bills that have passed or are being considered in New York, California and Maryland.
Political ads represent a fraction of social media companies’ advertising dollars, but they can have an outsized influence on the outcome of U.S. elections.
“Social media advertising has the potential to really change the way campaigns are run. It allows you to really micro-target” specific communities, said Laura Edelson, an NYU doctoral student and one of the authors of the study. “It’s important to understand who is trying to influence us.”
Russian operatives bought thousands of ads on Facebook, Twitter and Google’s YouTube between 2015 and 2017, in many instances designed to stir the pot among Americans about divisive issues involving guns, Muslims, LGBT rights, immigration and race.
U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that the operatives attempted to use social media to sway the 2016 presidential election and sow discord, and senior executives from Facebook, Google and Twitter have been called to testify in September before the Senate Intelligence Committee on efforts to prevent similar interference in the Nov. 6 races.
The California proposal would require social media companies to put a link on political ads connecting to a page displaying the identity of its funders.
New York was among the first states to react to the Russian interference crisis with enhanced political ad rules. In April, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a law that directs the state board of elections to create an archive of digital political advertisements, requires online platforms to check independent political advertisers’ paperwork and prohibits foreign entities from forming committees to buy local election-related ads.