Legislators Tell Hearing They Want Hill Examination of Applying Ad Disclosure Rules Online

Congress should consider whether to apply political advertising disclosure rules to online platforms, lawmakers said at a Tuesday House Oversight IT Subcommittee hearing. Chairman Will Hurd, R-Texas, said there’s a “level of urgency,” and the panel hopes to sort out a legislative response. Twitter blogged Tuesday it plans ad transparency measures that "will offer everyone visibility into who is advertising" and allow users to share feedback. A "good first step," Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., tweeted. At the House hearing, broadcast, news media and campaign experts testifying as expected (see 1710230061) differed on benefits of legislation, agreeing more transparency in online political ad buys is a worthy goal. Interactive Advertising Bureau CEO Randall Rothenberg, who supports industry's self-regulatory approach, said it's difficult to always know the identity of purchasers in high-volume online engagements. Broadcast attorney Jack Goodman said stations find disclosure requirements not a "very significant" burden, responding to Hurd's question about how difficult applying existing media and broadcast rules would be for online platforms. Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., expressed confidence lawmakers can strike a balance between protecting First Amendment rights and the need to increase transparency in online ads. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., said an inquiry is "long overdue." Rep. Paul Mitchell, R-Mich., questioned News Media Alliance CEO David Chavern about who should bear the responsibility of determining the difference between “fake and real news.” Chavern supported efforts to increase the accountability on news posted online. The “best thing any platform can do is be clear where the news source is coming from,” he said. On sorting out the identity of online political ads, Chavern told lawmakers quizzing him on the issue that “every company should know who is doing business with them.” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., supported rules to prevent foreign influence in U.S. elections.