U.S. states are tightening rules for online political advertising ahead of the November midterm elections as prospects dim that federal rules 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 Inc., Twitter Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google, states including Maryland, Washington and New York are putting more pressure on tech companies to keep tabs. California state senators have scheduled a hearing for Monday on a bill that would require internet companies to offer to the public more information about the people or groups funding political ads for state and local candidates there.
The 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 way they use social media to spread misinformation and sow discord in American civic life.
Source: Russian Meddling Prompts States to Set Online Political Ad Rules | Bloomberg