The Hill: Facebook Hearings Should Force Congress to Address Meddling
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify before Congress this week about his global social media platform and security of the user data it collects, after bipartisan calls in the House and Senate for him to do so. This is a meaningful first step in the direction of transparency, but it does not address the issue of foreign interference in our elections.
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In light of all this, we have just one question: What is Congress waiting for? The Honest Ads Act has yet to even receive a hearing, and our country is no closer today to shoring up the vulnerabilities that were exploited by the Russians in 2016 than they were last election cycle.
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The bipartisan Honest Ads Act brings our disclosure rules into the 21st century by extending the requirements that already exist for television and radio ads to the digital ads that voters see on computers and smartphones. The bill gives voters, journalists and law enforcement officers important tools to detect illegal foreign activity.
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An estimated $1.4 billion was spent on digital ads in the 2016 elections. It is a safe bet that number will continue to rise. As campaigns change to reflect the digital age in which we live, so too must our laws. Congress must hold hearings and pass the Honest Ads Act. The security of our nation and integrity of our elections depend on it.